A Google spokesperson has confirmed that the US tech company is blocking some Canadian users from viewing news content in response to the Liberal government’s online news bill.
The online news bill, also known as Bill C-18, would force digital giants such as Google and Facebook-owner Meta to negotiate deals that would compensate Canadian news outlets for reposting of their content on their platforms.
The company says it limits access to online news content to less than 4% of its Canadian users of its products, including its popular search engine and Discover feature on Android devices that stream news and sports reports.
The company says all types of news content are affected by the test, which will last about five weeks, including content created by Canadian broadcasters and newspapers.
A spokeswoman for Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said Canadians would not be intimidated and called it disappointing that Google is borrowing from Meta’s playbook.
The latter had threatened to block news from its site last year in response to the bill.
“We are briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users,” Google spokesperson Shay Purdy said in a written statement Wednesday.
The company conducts thousands of tests each year to assess any potential changes to its search engine, he added.
“We have been completely transparent about our concern that C-18 is too broad and, if not amended, could impact the products Canadians use and rely on every day,” Mr. Purdy said.
“We remain committed to supporting a sustainable future for news in Canada and to delivering solutions that fix Bill C-18,” he added.