Google is experimenting with ways to block content from its Canadian users, the company said Wednesday, in an effort to respond to proposed legislation in the country that would require tech giants to pay media companies for republishing content on their platforms.
The Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) company reacted to the Online News Act (Bill C-18), originally proposed in April 2022 by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government. If enacted, it would force platforms like Google and Facebook to negotiate commercial deals and compensate news publishers.
In the meantime, about 4% of randomly chosen Canadian users will have their search results impacted.
"We're briefly testing potential product responses to Bill C-18 that impact a very small percentage of Canadian users,” a Google spokesperson told Reuters. “We run thousands of tests each year to assess any potential changes to search.”
Shares of Alphabet were 4% higher in pre-market trading in New York.
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