By Canadian Press

Google set to remove news links in Canada over online news law

Jun 29, 2023 | 11:03 AM

OTTAWA — Google says it will remove news links in Canada because of the Liberal government’s new law forcing digital giants to compensate media outlets for content they share or otherwise repurpose online.

The company says its search engine will no longer carry news links when the Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18, comes into effect by the end of this year.

It will also remove news links from Google News, a personalized aggregator, and Google Discover, a mobile-phone feature that helps people find content online.

The tech company says it will end Google News Showcase in Canada, a product it uses to license news from over 150 local publishers.

Google says it has informed the Liberal government of its decision, which comes after Meta also said it would remove news from its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram before the law comes into force.

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Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and its parent company Alphabet, says he’s disappointed it has come to this point but that the legislation remains unworkable.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2023.

The Canadian Press