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Online News Act could see Google, Meta pay combined $234 million to Canadian media – CBC.ca

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The federal government has put a price tag on what it would like to see Google and Facebook spend under an act requiring the tech giants to compensate media for news articles.

Federal officials estimate Google would need to offer $172 million and Facebook $62 million in compensation to satisfy criteria they’re proposing for exemptions under the Online News Act.

Draft regulations released by the government Friday outlined for the first time how it proposes to level the playing field between Big Tech and Canada’s journalism sector.

“The goal of it is to make sure that those that benefit the most from the Canadian market fall under the bill,” Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge told The Canadian Press following the proposal’s release.

A woman in a white suit stands at a microphone.
Minister of Canadian Heritage Pascale St-Onge speaks to reporters during the Liberal Cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

The government said companies will fall under the act if they have a total global revenue of $1 billion or more in a calendar year, “operate in a search engine or social media market distributing and providing access to news content in Canada,” and have 20 million or more Canadian average monthly unique visitors or average monthly active users.

For now, Google and Meta’s Facebook are the only companies that meet the criteria, though officials say Microsoft’s Bing search engine is the next closest to falling under the act.

“We know how technology evolves or how the market changes sometimes at a rapid pace and we want to make sure that this bill is relevant in five and 10 years,” St-Onge said.

Companies meeting the criteria can receive an exemption from the act if they already contribute to Canadian journalism an amount laid out by a government formula.

The formula is based on a tech company’s global revenues and Canada’s share of their global GDP. The government believes the calculation will deliver a contribution that is within 20 per cent of the earnings of full-time journalists working in a Canadian news organization.

Companies would be able to satisfy the criteria with both monetary and non-monetary compensation. While the draft does not specify which non-monetary contributions would count, officials said training and advertising could wind up meeting the criteria.

The draft regulations will be subject to a further 30-day consultation. Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, which blocked news on its platforms in anticipation of the act coming into effect at the end of the year, immediately expressed its disappointment with the proposal.

Meta says it will continue blocking news

The draft is based around a “fundamentally flawed premise,” said Rachel Curran, head of public policy at Meta Canada.

“As the legislation is based on the incorrect assertion that Meta benefits unfairly from the news content shared on our platforms, today’s proposed regulations will not impact our business decision to end news availability in Canada,” she said in a statement.

Google, which St-Onge has painted as more cooperative than Meta, also has threatened to pull Canadian news from its offerings.

“We’re carefully reviewing the proposed regulations to assess whether they resolve the serious structural issues with C-18 that regrettably were not dealt with during the legislative process,” Google spokesperson Shay Purdy said in response to the draft.

A close-up image of a mobile phone shows several social media apps including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Instagram.
Both Meta and Google lobbied against the passing of the Online News Act. (Shutterstock/Primakov)

The two companies have long lobbied against the legislation, with Meta claiming news is a tiny fraction of its business and removing it would result in little revenue loss for the social networking giant.

Google’s president of global affairs Kent Walker, meanwhile, has said the legislation “exposes us to uncapped financial liability” and claimed it’s being targeted just because it shows links to news, “something that everyone else does for free.”

But St-Onge maintained the legislation is a “reasonable and predictable path forward for both platforms and media newsrooms.

“This is what we have said that we do,” she said. “I think we delivered on finding a way forward that should please everyone.”

The government said it is pushing forward with the act because Google and Meta have a combined 80 per cent share of the $14 billion online ad revenues seen in the country in 2022.

At the same time, news outlets have seen their advertising revenues shrink, forcing layoffs, a loss of media coverage in small and rural communities and 474 closures of Canadian news businesses between 2008 and 2023.

The government says 69 per cent of Canadians access news online but only 11 per cent pay for it.

After Meta made good on its threats to remove Canadian news, the federal government pulled $10 million in annual advertising from Meta’s platforms. News and telecommunications businesses Quebecor, Bell Media, Torstar Corp., Cogeco, and Postmedia Network Canada Corp. replicated the move.

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N.S. government sets up code of conduct for province’s municipal politicians

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HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government has released a code of conduct for municipal politicians across the province.

The code includes 40 guidelines under 14 categories, covering topics from gifts and benefits, to how officials should handle confidential information.

Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr says a code ensuring elected municipal officials have clear guidance on conduct and behaviour is long overdue.

The code was originally requested by the provinces’ municipalities and villages, and it was developed based on recommendations of a working group established in January 2022.

The working group recommended a code that applied across the province, with processes for investigating complaints and imposing sanctions.

The provincial government says councils and village commissions must adopt the code of conduct by Dec. 19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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French transport minister meets cycling groups after a traffic death sparks protests

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PARIS (AP) — The French transport minister is expected to meet with cycling associations on Monday following the death of a cyclist in Paris after a dispute with a driver.

The 27-year-old cyclist, Paul Varry, was allegedly deliberately run over last Tuesday by an SUV driver, who now faces preliminary charges of murder. The incident has sparked protests across France, with demonstrators calling for safer roads for cyclists and an end to “motorized violence.”

Varry, a dedicated advocate for urban cycling, was known for his work improving cycling infrastructure in Saint-Ouen, a northern suburb of Paris. Hundreds gathered on Saturday to honor him, including cycling groups like Paris en Selle, which vowed to continue his fight for safer roads.

Transport Minister François Durovray, in a post on X, expressed his deep sympathy for Varry’s family and said that cyclists “have a place on the road,” vowing to address safety concerns. He called Monday’s meeting an opportunity to listen and act on behalf of France’s cycling community, which has been shaken by Varry’s death. The tragedy has reignited national debates on road safety and cyclist protection as France sees an increasing number of cyclists in its urban centers.

Alexis Fremeaux, co-president of the French Federation of Bicycle Users, said that “Paul’s death, killed by a motorist in Paris, has resonated deeply.

“It stirred such emotion because this kind of murder is exceptional. But the violence that cyclists face on the roads today — every cyclist has experienced it. Whether it’s threats, being put under pressure, being endangered, or even deliberate collisions — every cyclist has a story to tell.”

Cycling advocates hope that Varry’s death will spark action and lead to What they say are long-overdue reforms to improve road safety.

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Fleming, Sauerbrunn and over 100 women’s soccer players protest FIFA deal with Saudi oil giant Aramco

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ZURICH (AP) — Canadian national team captain Jessie Fleming, former U.S. national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema are among more than 100 women’s soccer players who have signed an open letter protesting FIFA’s sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco.

The letter calls the deal, which includes sponsorship at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, “much worse than an own goal,” citing Saudi Arabia’s record on the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people and the impact of Aramco’s oil and gas production on climate change.

“As well as funding the Saudi regime, Aramco is one of the biggest polluters of the planet we all call home. In taking Aramco’s sponsorship, FIFA is choosing money over women’s safety and the safety of the planet — and that’s something we as players are standing against, together,” Fleming said in comments via campaign group Athletes Of The World.

Fellow Canadians Erin McLeod, Emma Regan, Samantha Chang and Nyla Peterkin also signed their names to the letter.

Sauerbrunn voiced concern for women who are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

“The safety of those women, the rights of women, LGBTQ+ rights and the health of the planet need to take a much bigger priority over FIFA making more money,” said Sauerbrunn.

The letter calls on FIFA to replace Aramco “with alternative sponsors whose values align with gender equality, human rights and the safe future of our planet,” and to give players a voice on the ethical implications of future sponsorship deals.

“This letter shows that as players this is what we don’t want to stand for and accept within women’s football. It’s simple: this sponsorship is contradicting FIFA’s own commitments to human rights and the planet,” Miedema said.

FIFA’s deal with Aramco was announced in April as part of ever-closer ties between Saudi Arabia and world soccer’s governing body. FIFA is expected to confirm Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 men’s World Cup in December. It is the only candidate for the tournament.

“FIFA values its partnership with Aramco and its many others commercial and rights partners. FIFA is an inclusive organisation with many commercial partners also supporting other organizations in football and other sports,” world soccer’s governing body said in an emailed statement Monday, adding that commercial revenue is reinvested into developing women’s soccer.

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