Google warns Online News Act would give feds “unprecedented control”

https://tnc.news/2022/05/18/google-warns-online-news-act-would-give-feds-unprecedented-control/

US tech giant Google has blasted the Trudeau government over a federal plan to regulate online news, calling it a sweeping attempt to impose government control over the web.

Vice President and Managing Director of Google Canada Sabrina Geremia warned in a lengthy post on Monday that Bill C-18 – also known as the Online News Act – would give the federal government “sweeping new powers” to regulate news content.

“The bill gives the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) unprecedented, sweeping new powers to regulate every aspect of the Canadian news industry,” wrote Geremia.

“The CRTC would be responsible for determining who is a journalist, what is an eligible news business, and how much money will be directed to each entity — decisions far outside its expertise as a broadcast regulator.”

Google isn’t the only company that has gone on record to slam the Trudeau government’s plans to regulate online news. Meta (formerly known as Facebook) and Twitter have also called the legislation flawed.