CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) & Bill C-18

Taxslave2

House Member
Aug 13, 2022
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Personally, I don’t use Facebook or Twitter, but I do use Google & I’m on an Apple Platform. Many aren’t though, & in all honesty…. I have not seen a print newspaper in years….many many years….
I use FB, and got a twitter account after Musk bought it.Don’t much use it. Also try to read BC papers. Mostly online
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Google has followed fellow tech giant Meta in announcing it will block Canadian news content from its search engine in Canada after days of negotiations with the Liberal government hit an impasse over its recently passed online news bill.

“We have been saying for over a year that this is the wrong approach to supporting journalism in Canada and may result in significant changes to our products,” a blog post from Kent Walker, the company’s president of global affairs, read Thursday.
“We have now informed the government that when the law takes effect, we unfortunately will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products in Canada, and that C-18 will also make it untenable for us to continue offering our Google News Showcase product in Canada.”
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez says he was surprised (???) by Google's announcement that it will cease hosting links to Canadian news outlets.

"Well, Meta, I always said it was complicated; Google we still have conversations as recent as this morning," Rodriguez told CTV's Power Play Thursday afternoon. "I'm a bit surprised (????) by Google's reaction."

Earlier in the day, Google declared that it will be removing Canadian news from its platforms and ending existing deals with local publishers due to the Liberal government's Online News Act.

Formally known as Bill C-18, the Online News Act forces digital giants like Google and Facebook parent Meta to pay media outlets for content that is shared, previewed or otherwise repurposed on their platforms. Meta has also confirmed that it is pulling Canadian news from Facebook and Instagram and ending deals with local publishers, such as one that supported hiring emerging journalists.

"We cannot have tech giants as powerful as they are with big lawyers and everything coming here and telling members of parliament and the government elected by approximately 1/3 the people but not even the popular vote but the party that individually got the most seats due to seat distribution, 'This is what you're going to do,’" the minister said. "We can't accept that. We're a sovereign nation."

Rodriguez said Google's announcement took him by surprise (????) because the law is not yet in effect. He said conversations with the company remain ongoing, and some common ground has been reached.

The law, which passed on June 22, will come into effect by the end of the year.

Michael Geist is a University of Ottawa law professor and the Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law. He calls the new legislation “bad for everyone.”

"I think it's bad for the company, because its search features in Canada and Google News won't be as good,” Geist told CTV National News on Thursday. “It's clearly bad for Canadian news outlets who rely heavily on Google and Meta for referral traffic… And it's bad for the Canadian public because their access to search results won't be as good."

Geist says the legislation is also fundamentally "disastrous" for the government.

"The government made a big bet, seemingly just based on the notion that somehow this was all just a big bluff; I don't think it read the room," he said. "I don't think it fully appreciated the current circumstances and it put a fundamental principle of the internet – the notion of free flow of information through linking – at risk." Oh well…
 
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55Mercury

rigid member
May 31, 2007
4,301
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does anyone really rely on social media for their news?

it is fun though to see the left eating itself as predicted
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
does anyone really rely on social media for their news?

it is fun though to see the left eating itself as predicted
Not everyone is a news junky and on online forums to debate, so personally I do think a significant portion of the population does use social media for their news feeds, & google to inquire further about something that actually catches their attention.

The thing that I find surprising is that the Liberal Heritage Minister is finding anything about the current outcome surprising what so ever…or even claiming to.

The response to C-18 by Google & others is (and was) entirely predictable, if not anticipated by the Liberal/NDP government. On that note, is this just another way for this current government to pick winners and losers in the Canadian media?
 
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Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
5,934
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Edmonton
Google has followed fellow tech giant Meta in announcing it will block Canadian news content from its search engine in Canada after days of negotiations with the Liberal government hit an impasse over its recently passed online news bill.

“We have been saying for over a year that this is the wrong approach to supporting journalism in Canada and may result in significant changes to our products,” a blog post from Kent Walker, the company’s president of global affairs, read Thursday.
“We have now informed the government that when the law takes effect, we unfortunately will have to remove links to Canadian news from our Search, News and Discover products in Canada, and that C-18 will also make it untenable for us to continue offering our Google News Showcase product in Canada.”
Canadian Independent creators have done well with the internet so no government interference was required. But apparently, the MSM don't like it as they've lost business but hey, if you don't put the factual product out there, no one is going to buy it.

They simply need to do their jobs better but alas, the government will support them no matter what so it's Canadians that are going to be screwed. Hopefully, there'll be a "go around" for us to eventually find the news we want. I imagine it'll just take time & we'll be able to defeat it. What do you think?
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
I think, short term, in about six months, if you are Canadian, and you are looking to find Canadian news (and you’re not on an Apple-based platform), the answer will be “VPN Location Spoofing” so that you can make it seem like you’re somewhere else on the planet other than Canada…so you can at least learn what’s going on in Canada as far as news goes. Crazy….
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
…&….From the outside looking in (BBC):

Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, and Google say they will block local news from their platforms in Canada after the country became the latest jurisdiction to pass a law aimed at forcing tech giants to pay news providers for content.

The law - which is aimed at Google and Meta - requires tech firms to negotiate payment agreements with news outlets. If the two sides cannot reach a deal, the country's broadcast regulator can force them into arbitration.

An independent parliamentary budget watchdog has estimated that measure could generate more than C$300m (£180m; $226m) in total annually - or funding for roughly 30% of a typical newsroom's operations.

But instead of a windfall, La Presse - and every other Canadian news organisation - is now facing a potential blackout, as the tech giants pledge to block links to news articles on their platforms rather than comply.

Meta, which had opposed the proposal from the start, said it would start blocking news sites for Canadian users over the next few months.

Google has struck payment agreements with news providers in Europe, Australia and elsewhere and had appeared willing to negotiate.

But this week it called Canada's current law "unworkable" and said it would remove links to Canadian news from its search, news and discover products in the country once the act goes into effect in six months.

It says it currently has agreements with more than 150 Canadian news organisations, and estimated its traffic helped news websites earn C$250m a year.

"We're willing to do more," the company said, referring to payments. "We just can't do it in a way that breaks the way that the web and search engines are designed to work, and that creates untenable product and financial uncertainty."

Before the law was passed this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had dismissed the threats from the tech firms to pull news. This sounds so “fringe group with unacceptable views” familiar somehow???
The rest at the above Link…
 

Tecumsehsbones

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 18, 2013
57,573
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Washington DC
The saga of content providers v. carriers has been long and weird. Back in the day, providers like ESPN paid cable systems to carry them. Then they got so popular, they started charging cable systems to carry them.

That's the market at work.

Then government gets involved. . .
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
The saga of content providers v. carriers has been long and weird. Back in the day, providers like ESPN paid cable systems to carry them. Then they got so popular, they started charging cable systems to carry them.

That's the market at work.

Then government gets involved. . .
I hear you, but we’re at a different point in time now, where ESPN, or Google, or Facebook, or others….aren’t fledgling breakthrough entities trying to get a toehold in the market. Currently they are the market…with a “side of news” in Canada. They can take or leave the “news” portion if push comes to Liberal shove.

Once C-18 (& C-11) are in full swing (so by 2024-ish?), we can expect the next chapter being “The Online Safety Act” which with C-11 will decide for you what is or isn’t ‘the truth’ (or at least the official truth) with financial consequences for those that do not adhere to the official truth and are deemed to be promoting misinformation or disinformation or even cisinformation in conflict with the Government of the day.
Packaged & sold as preventing online hate and misinformation…but deciding for you what actually is or isn’t online hate or misinformation…

So would the following be Misinformation, Cisinformation, Disinformation, or just something the Canadian public would never see due to fear of financial sanctions upon its publisher?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
 
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Tecumsehsbones

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 18, 2013
57,573
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Washington DC
Basically, instead of the market (where CBC knows it can't get paid) government decided to require payment. And so far carriers are saying "No, thanks."

I'll sell you a shitbox K-car for 50,000 dollars (U.S. or Canada). Obviously, you'll say "No, thanks (being a polite Canadian and all). Then I'll get the government to pass a law saying you MUST pay to get my shitbox K-car. And you'll still say "No, thanks."

As they say in Quebec and parts of NB, "C'est la vie."
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Basically, instead of the market (where CBC knows it can't get paid) government decided to require payment. And so far carriers are saying "No, thanks."

I'll sell you a shitbox K-car for 50,000 dollars (U.S. or Canada). Obviously, you'll say "No, thanks (being a polite Canadian and all). Then I'll get the government to pass a law saying you MUST pay to get my shitbox K-car. And you'll still say "No, thanks."

As they say in Quebec and parts of NB, "C'est la vie."
Apt analogy! In the Canadian case, it’ll hit close to home as the ICE Vehicle will no longer be available for sale (new) as of 2035 (I shit you not). It’ll be EV’s or used ICE vehicles from that point forward, and yes, technology can & will change, but that’s in less that twelve years so it better hurry the Hell up already.

Either the Technology or the Global Warming/Changing thing better hurry up, or some combination of the two…’cuz Canada and Winter are real and battery tech just isn’t there yet. Either way, I’m not looking forward to it.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
….I'll sell you a shitbox K-car for 50,000 dollars (U.S. or Canada). Obviously, you'll say "No, thanks (being a polite Canadian and all). Then I'll get the government to pass a law saying you MUST pay to get my shitbox K-car. And you'll still say "No, thanks."….
OK, funny (sort of) K-Car Story. Buddy owned one, in surprising good shape. He goes away for the weekend (this is 25-30 years ago) and someone smashed out the windows in it. He discovered this when he arrived home.

He contacts SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance = the Only Auto insurance company in Saskatchewan) & they tell him that he should clean his personal possessions out of it if any are left ‘cuz the car was worth less than the cost of replacing the windows it it. That’s the K-Car for you.
 
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Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
5,934
3,736
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Edmonton
I hear you, but we’re at a different point in time now, where ESPN, or Google, or Facebook, or others….aren’t fledgling breakthrough entities trying to get a toehold in the market. Currently they are the market…with a “side of news” in Canada. They can take or leave the “news” portion if push comes to Liberal shove.

Once C-18 (& C-11) are in full swing (so by 2024-ish?), we can expect the next chapter being “The Online Safety Act” which with C-11 will decide for you what is or isn’t ‘the truth’ (or at least the official truth) with financial consequences for those that do not adhere to the official truth and are deemed to be promoting misinformation or disinformation or even cisinformation in conflict with the Government of the day.
Packaged & sold as preventing online hate and misinformation…but deciding for you what actually is or isn’t online hate or misinformation…

So would the following be Misinformation, Cisinformation, Disinformation, or just something the Canadian public would never see due to fear of financial sanctions upon its publisher?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
Or this?:
Ah, the lying continues, so what else is new?
 
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Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
25,422
9,155
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Ah, the lying continues, so what else is new?
The effort in trying to not get caught? Now instead of just not getting caught in a lie, they’re legislating things so that pointing out the lies could be misinformation or disinformation….leading to fines & sanctions for publishing pointing them out? That’s the the big difference I’d say.
 

Dixie Cup

Senate Member
Sep 16, 2006
5,934
3,736
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Edmonton
The effort in trying to not get caught? Now instead of just not getting caught in a lie, they’re legislating things so that pointing out the lies could be misinformation or disinformation….leading to fines & sanctions for publishing pointing them out? That’s the the big difference I’d say.
Wow, I have to admit I never thought of that but it sounds about right!
 
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