Canada is about to face Facebook, following the example set by Australia, which started a war with the technology giant when the country’s publishers supported a proposed legislation requiring 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 Australian news content from its websites in retaliation.
Guilbeault warned that Canada will be the next to ensure that Facebook pays for news content from Canadian publishers. Guilbeault is accused of writing legislation in the coming months that would require Alphabet Inc’s Facebook and Google to pay.
“Canada is at the forefront of this battle … we are really among the first group of countries around the world that are doing this,” Guilbeault told reporters.
Guilbeault said he recently met with government ministers from Australia, Finland, France and Germany to establish a common front with respect to Google and Facebook, the Globe and Mail reported.
“It was the first ministerial meeting where we started talking together about what we want to do together in relation to the web 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 that oppose Facebook and Google may soon reach 15.“ I’m a little curious to see what Facebook’s response will be. Will Facebook cut off relations with Germany, France, Canada, Australia and other countries that will join? At a certain point, Facebook’s position will be completely unsustainable. “
In Canada, critics of social media giants hailed the country’s position in relation to technology giants. Last week, Canadian lawmaker Alexandre Boulerice filed a motion in the House of Commons condemning Facebook’s actions, saying that “Facebook intimidation” has no place in a democracy.
“We are seeing a very significant turn in the monopoly challenge that big technologies are exercising,” 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 is true for the whole world. What is exciting is that this is an issue that countries can bring together and hold Facebook and Google accountable. “
But others used Twitter to detonate Guilbeault’s plan. “If you force companies to pay for every link they make to another site, you are, in essence, breaking the Internet,” tweeted @mattolan. “It hurts the Canadian media; it’s no use. This is a very poorly designed plan. “
Last year, Canadian publishers sought government action against the tech giants, warning that the country could lose hundreds of jobs in print journalism. Following the Australian approach would allow Canadian publishers to recover nearly $ 500 million. This approach would require tech giants to close deals to pay news agencies whose links to stories take users to their websites.
“We cannot provide a reaction to the proposed legislation until we have seen a draft,” said Kevin Chan, Global Director and Head of Public Policy at Facebook Canada, in a statement. “We believe that there are other options to support news in Canada that will benefit publishers of all sizes more equitably and recognize the value that platforms bring to news organizations. We are ready to collaborate on these complex issues. “