Google says news bill a detriment to journalism
Google, one of the web giants at the heart of the federal government’s online news bill, says the legislation could lower the quality of journalism in Canada, contributing to a worrying spread of misinformation online.
Bill C-18, also known as Online News Act, would compel large online platforms to share some of the revenue they generate from posting news content on their sites with the media outlets that produced the stories. In a blog post published Monday, the tech company argues the current version of the bill, which is at second reading in the House of Commons, too loosely defines which news businesses are eligible to strike deals with online platforms.
“This means that any opinion or commentary blog with two or more people could be eligible to receive funds. It also means that foreign state-owned outlets could be eligible, even if they are known sources of misinformation and propaganda,” reads the post, penned by Google Canada’s vice-president and managing director Sabrina Geremia. “In other words, the bill would force Google to subsidize outlets that do not adhere to any journalistic standards, creating a regime that allows bad actors and those peddling misinformation to thrive and profit.”
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s office fired back at the tech company late Monday afternoon, saying the bill excludes news organizations that “promote the interest of an organization,” such as foreign state media.
“Suggesting that Russian state media would be eligible is a huge exaggeration,” spokesperson Ashley Michnowski told the Star.
The tech company’s argument that the bill would amplify the proliferation of misleading content online is at odds with the government’s rationale behind introducing C-18 in the first place, billing the legislation as an opportunity to revive Canada’s news industry.
The bill targets tech titans that dominate the digital advertising market. According to the federal government, more than 450 Canadian media outlets closed between 2008 and 2021, and in 2020, 80 per cent of online ad revenue went to Google and Facebook. Many in the news industry have lobbied Ottawa to address that market imbalance, including Torstar, which publishes the Toronto Star.
The legislation, however, outlines specific eligibility criteria for news businesses. Eligible outlets must be considered a qualified Canadian journalism organization (QCJO) under the Income Tax Act, or must meet four other criteria that ensures they are legitimate news organizations. That criteria includes producing news “primarily focused on matters of general interest and reports of current events,” employing two or more journalists in Canada, operating in Canada, and creating news content that is not focused on a single topic such as sports or entertainment.
Google says that the bill could set a precedent where potential sources of misinformation might “insist on artificially inflating their ranking” on the site’s search results.
“We work hard to ensure that Canadians don’t come across harmful content on Google Search. But a section of the bill prohibits ‘undue preference’ re: ‘eligible news businesses’, without saying what that means. And it could mean making us liable for not displaying spammers, foreign propagandists, and those who seek to mislead and defraud you,” the post notes.
The minister’s office said the bill does not require Google to “remove or restrict search results” in any way. Rodriguez has said “transparency” over which businesses and platforms are eligible under the bill is a critical part of the proposed legislation.
Under the proposed legislation, it will fall to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, not the government, to decide which news organizations qualify for entering into arrangements with digital platforms.
The bill would force Google to subsidize outlets that do not adhere to any journalistic standards, creating a regime that allows bad actors and those peddling misinformation to thrive and profit.
SABRINA GEREMIA GOOGLE CANADA’S VICE-PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR