Clicky

Defend free speech and individual liberty online. 

Push back against Big Tech and media gatekeepers.

Proposed Canadian law would force Facebook and Google to pay mainstream media outlets $329.2M per year

Maintaining the dominance of mainstream media.

If you’re tired of censorship and surveillance, join Reclaim The Net.

A report from Canada’s Officer of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) estimated that Facebook and Google would be forced to pay mainstream news publishers CA$329.2 million annually if the Online News Act passes.

We obtained a copy of the report for you here.

The bill is currently in the House of Commons and is expected to pass before the end of the year or in 2023. The legislation would require Facebook and Google to negotiate “fair commercial deals” with news businesses in Canada.

“The PBO estimates that the Online News Act would provide about $329.2m per annum to news businesses across Canada,” it said.

“It also estimates that news businesses would spend about $20.8m in transaction and compliance costs to conclude their first deals.

“It would be more expensive for smaller businesses to negotiate and comply with the legislation because most would need to hire external expertise, while for large companies, internal capacity likely already exists.”

Australia has a similar law, called the News Media Bargaining Code, that has resulted in Facebook and Google paying news organizations AU$200 million per year.

Facebook said that the legislation fails to recognize “value exchange runs in favor of publishers and misrepresents the relationship between our platforms and publishers who choose to post news to reach subscribers and monetize their content.”

Google said that the estimate by the PBO “appears to be grounded in a set of assumptions and talking points, with no basis in the legislation itself, the facts of the news industry, the realities of digital advertising or our current value exchange with news publishers.”

If you’re tired of censorship and surveillance, join Reclaim The Net.

Reclaim The Net Logo

Defend free speech and individual liberty online. 

Push back against Big Tech and media gatekeepers.

Share this post

Logo with the text 'Reclaim The Net' alongside a red and black shield emblem featuring three upward-pointing arrows.

🔓 Join the free speech thinkers, privacy advocates, and independent voices who rely on Reclaim The Net to stay ahead of censorship and Big Tech overreach — every day.

How to

✓ Features and tutorials on how to avoid Big Tech censorship and host content for yourselves and others

Explore

✓ Exclusive insights on censorship, free speech, and digital privacy in a surveillance age

Expert knowledge

✓ Stay informed on antitrust, policy shifts, and your digital rights

Discounts

✓ Up-to 50% off merchandise, with new items added regularly

Help the cause

✓ Defend free speech and digital civil liberties—stand against censorship

Already a member? Login here.