Senator Pierre Dalphond wants Canadians to switch to Bing to access Canadian news content.
“I have chosen Bing because it is as good as Google as a search engine while it offers access to Canadian news content and its management does not try to play tough with Canada,” Dalphond told PressProgress.
Both Meta and Google have stated they will stop Canadians from accessing the content when the Online News Act (Bill C-18) goes into effect later this year. The act will require the two platforms to pay Canadian publishers for sharing their content.
As The Logic has noted, Bing’s parent company Microsoft won’t pay under the bill as the platform doesn’t reach the financial threshold the government is examining.
“The [financial] threshold would be based on a platform’s estimated Canadian revenues and would be specific to each platform and their position within the news marketplace,” a recently released document by Canadian Heritage states.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez also previously stated that the current threshold only applies to Meta and Google, PressProgress notes.
Dalphond later clarified that Microsoft should be required to pay publishers under the same rules if it meets the requirements. “If millions switch to Bing and as a result it meets the threshold, the Act shall apply,” the Québec Senator told the publication.
Microsoft told PressProgress it would follow any laws that apply to the company.
“Microsoft supports a strong and independent news and media ecosystem as an essential ingredient for social cohesion, and a foundation of our democratic systems of government.”
Image credit: Shutterstock
Source: PressProgress, The Logic
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