Why is Google blocking news content in Canada?
Google is blocking news for Canadians. The company attributed this to testing a potential response to the Canadian government's new online news bill.
Also known as Bill C-18, the "Internet News Act" would require digital platforms like Google or Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, among others, to pay Canadian media companies for publishing their content on these platforms.
Google said that this is a temporary restriction of access to news content for only 4% of Canadian users, associated with the verification of a possible response to the bill. The changes affect the public search engine, as well as the Google Discover feature on all Android gadgets.
The company says that all types of news, including those created by Canadian news sources, fall under the test. The test will last about five weeks.
"We're briefly testing a potential response to Bill C-18 right now; it would affect a small percentage of Canadians," says a Google spokesperson.
"The company does hundreds of these tests every year," he added.
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