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How will Google and Meta’s pledge to block Canadian news affect you? Here’s what to know

Big changes could be coming to the way Google and Meta let you access news on their platforms. We provide answers to the big questions around the decisions.

Thestar.com
July 4, 2023
Raisa Patel

Do you use popular platforms like Google’s search engine or Meta’s Facebook to find and share news online?

Thursday’s announcement that Google was joining Meta in preparing to bar Canadians from viewing news content produced in Canada on its platforms was met with concern from some corners of the internet and sparked questions over what exactly the bans would look like.

The decision ended months of speculation over whether the web giants would pull Canadian news off their platforms in retaliation for the federal government’s recently-passed online news law.

The law would force companies like Google and Meta to enter into deals with Canadian media publishers for sharing, previewing and directing users to online news content. The duo have long opposed the law, which Torstar and other publishers support, arguing that key elements of the legislation remain unclear and that they are being unfairly pushed into payment agreements for driving traffic to and generating revenue for news outlets.

Let’s start with Facebook and Instagram. What’s going on there and when will the ban go into effect?

The company won’t explain precisely what that means because it could take months for Meta to pull the trigger. The law is set to come into effect in about six months’ time, during which regulations surrounding how the legislation would work will be finalized.

What we do know is that people in Canada won’t be able to post links to news stories from Canadian publishers on Facebook and Instagram. News outlets themselves, whether they are publishers or broadcasters, also won’t be able to post their content. It’s likely that users who try to share news will receive a notification informing them that they’re unable to do so.

Both Meta and Google have been clear that their response to the bill mostly affects news outlets that are based in Canada and serve the Canadian market.

But when Meta first announced it was conducting a smaller-scale test of blocking news content, the company said other major outlets -- like The New York Times or BBC -- would also be roped into the test because they partially operate in the country.

How will news be blocked on Google?
Users in Canada won’t be shown any Canadian news content when they enter a search query into the company’s world-famous search engine. Canadian news will also be scrubbed from the company’s news aggregator, Google News, and its Discover app, which customizes news results for its users.

Like Meta, Google won’t usher in the changes right away. They’ll be rolled out in six months when the regulatory process for the law concludes.

But unlike Meta, Google has signalled that outlets like The New York Times and BBC won’t be included in its ban, because its interpretation of the law is that only outlets that produce content primarily for the Canadian news marketplace are included in the legislation.

What if I need information in case of an emergency or natural disaster?
Given the devastation wrought by Canada’s wildfire season this year, the thought of being unable to check Google for local news and share your findings with Facebook or Instagram friends is a cause for concern.

Meta hasn’t clarified what it might do in such a situation. But Google told the Star late Thursday that it’s started briefing governments at all levels on how they can work together to formulate a crisis response, including using the company’s existing forecasting and alerts services.

Users will still receive SOS alerts if Google identifies that they’re in an area where an emergency is unfolding, but the search results that pop up probably won’t include news sources.

What did these threats look like in other countries?
Canadians will have to hope that Google’s ban, should it proceed, won’t last as long as it did in Spain. At the end of 2014, Google pulled its News service from that country -- only returning news to the service in 2022 -- in response to Spain seeking a monthly licensing fee for publishers whose content was linked and previewed on its platform.

Facebook, meanwhile, infamously launched a weeklong news ban in Australia in 2021 in response to that country’s News Media Bargaining Code, on which Canada’s law is partly based. The company blocked news publishers and users in Australia from sharing or viewing any local and international news content. Plus, anyone outside the country was unable to see or interact with Australian news.

The problem in Australia is that content posted by government agencies and some non-profit groups was also slashed, as was key information pertaining to the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Meta has promised Canadians it won’t repeat that overreach here.

What does this mean for news in Canada?
News publishers big and small have testified before the Senate to explain that these threats, if followed through, could have significant impacts on their businesses. Some publishers stand to lose millions, while others worry they’ll have to close.

Some parliamentarians have also expressed worry that misinformation will proliferate online in the absence of trusted news. (Meta has said it will continue to fact-check all information that remains available in Canada.)

“I think it really does lend itself to a much more pressing and comprehensive conversation about what role these platforms play in our democracy,” said Supriya Dwivedi, the director of policy and engagement at McGill University’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy.

She said tech giants will need to be ready to stare down impending impasses in a number of other jurisdictions that are considering similar legislative frameworks.

“Increasingly, these media bargaining codes are the policy tool of choice for democratic governments the world over,” Dwivedi said.