Google is blocking some Canadians from accessing news content as a possible response to Bill C-18.
If the bill, known as the Online News Act, passes, digital platforms like Google and Meta will be responsible for paying news outlets for articles and other content they publish on their platforms.
According to The Canadian Press, the trial impacts roughly four percent of Canadians and pertains to the search engine and Google Discover on Android. The test will last five weeks, the publication reports.
“We’re briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users,” Google spokesman Shay Purdy told The Canadian Press. “We’ve been fully transparent about our concern that C-18 is overly broad and, if unchanged, could impact products Canadians use and rely on every day.”
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Source: The Canadian Press
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