Canada is about to take over Facebook, following the example of Australia, which started a war with the tech giant when the country’s publishers backed legislation that required payment for its content.
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault condemned Facebook’s actions as “highly irresponsible” last week when the social media giant removed all content from Australian news from its sites in retaliation.
Guilbeault warned that Canada would be next to make sure Facebook paid for news content from Canadian publishers. Guilbeault is accused of drafting legislation in the coming months that would force Alphabet Inc. to pay Facebook and Google.
“Canada is at the forefront of this battle … we really are one of the first groups of countries in the world to do that,” Guilbeault told reporters.
Guilbeault said he recently met with government ministers from Australia, Finland, France and Germany to work out a common front regarding Google and Facebook, Globe and Mail reports.
“It was the first ministerial meeting where we started talking together about what we want to do together in terms of network giants, including fair compensation for the media. We believe there is real strength in unity in this.” , he said, adding that the growing coalition of countries opposed to Facebook and Google could soon reach 15. “I’m a little curious to see what Facebook’s response will be. Facebook is going to sever ties with Germany, with France , with Canada, Australia and other countries coming together? At some point, Facebook’s position will be completely unsustainable. “
In Canada, critics of social media giants welcomed the country’s position on tech giants. Last week, Canadian lawmaker Alexandre Boulerice introduced a motion in the House of Commons to condemn Facebook’s actions, saying “Facebook intimidation” has no place in a democracy.
“We’re seeing a very important turning point in challenging the monopoly that big technology has,” said Megan Boley, a professor of media studies at the University of Toronto in an interview with The Post. “Right now, they are deciding what the truth is for the whole world. What’s exciting is that it’s an issue where countries can come together and hold Facebook and Google accountable. ”
But others went on Twitter to exploit Guilbeault’s plan. “If you force companies to pay for every link they make to another site, you’re essentially breaking the Internet.” tweeted @mattolan. “This hurts the Canadian media; it doesn’t help. This is a very ill-conceived plan. “
Last year, Canadian publishers sought government action against technology giants, warning that the country could lose hundreds of print journalism jobs. Following the Australian approach would allow Canadian publishers to recoup nearly $ 500 million. This approach would require tech giants to come to agreements to pay for news links to stories to drive users to their sites.
“We cannot react to the proposed legislation until we have seen a draft,” Kevin Chan, global director and head of public policy at Facebook Canada, said in a statement. “We believe there are other options to support news in Canada that will more accurately benefit publishers of all sizes and recognize the value that platforms bring to news organizations. We are ready to collaborate on these issues. complexes “.