In recent years, governments around the world have become increasingly concerned about the power and influence of big tech companies in the online world.
In particular, there is growing interest in the role of these companies in shaping public opinion through the control of online content.
In particular, Meta and Google are the major technology companies most targeted by the different States.
One country that has taken a particularly strong stance on this issue is Australia. In early 2021, the Australian government passed a law known as Mandatory Code of Negotiation of Digital Platforms and News Media.
This law requires large technology companies such as Facebook and Google to negotiate with Australian media companies to pay for the use of their content on these platforms.
The law is seen as a “victory” for media companies in that country, which, as elsewhere, argue that big tech profits from their content without compensating them for it.
One of the key points is advertising. The media understand that they generate the content, which Facebook and Google then “take away” and, with the users in their “possession”, offer the publicity that the news creators lose.
Content search: Google changes
However, Australia is not the only country taking action in this area. Other nations are also considering or implementing laws and regulations intended to control the advancement of big tech.
For example, in the United States, lawmakers have proposed a series of bills aimed at curbing this power, including measures to increase competition, strengthen data privacy protections, and regulate online content.
In Europe, the EU has also cracked down on big tech companies, with antitrust laws and regulations aimed at increasing transparency. In particular, the European Union’s Digital Services Law aims to set new rules for online platforms, including requirements to remove illegal content and provide more information to users about how their data is used.
Canada Online News Act
The latest news in this regard comes from Canada, where Google is implementing tests that block access to news content for some users in that country.
It was confirmed by Alphabet this Thursday, February 23, as “a test” that could be the prelude to a response to a new government bill.
The call “Canada Online News Act” (C-18 project), which was introduced in April by the government of Justin Trudeau, seeks to establish rules to force platforms to negotiate commercial agreements and pay news publishers for their content.
“We are testing potential responses to Bill C-18. The changes cover a small percentage of users in Canada. They are to evaluate potential changes in searches”, said from Google to Reuters.
The changes, as they explained, which involve 4 percent of users, limit the visibility of some news.
From the Trudeau government they said that Google “copy Meta” in the way of pressing. “Canadians should have access to quality, factual news locally and nationally, and that is why we introduced the law. Tech giants need to be more transparent and accountable to Canadians,” they added.
Indeed, in 2022, Meta threatened the Canadian government to block the sharing of news content on its platform if the law that would force platforms to pay news outlets advanced.
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