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Controversial bill to regulate online streaming becomes law in Canada
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- kneebonian 3y agoThis is my biggest worry that as countries continue to add more and more laws the internet becomes more and more fragmented and soon instead of the internet we have the EUnet, the CAnet, the ChinaNet, the RussiaNet the AmericaNet, etc.
- frumper 3y agoThis sounds more like telling companies that sell to Canadians to put back into the Canadian economy and to support all Canadian customers, not just the easy ones. I'm sure it's nice to have Netflix pay Canadian taxes, but what is better is if Netflix helps create jobs for Canadians by using revenue that Netflix earns by operating in Canada. That seems reasonable to me for every country.
- version_five 3y agoI'm assuming your not canadian. Canadian content is a tax we (canadians) all pay, being forced to wade through a sea of government approved crap to actually watch a good show. It benefits some small elite class of people, it's not for "difficult" Canadian customers.
- frumper 3y ago> online undertakings shall clearly promote and recommend Canadian programming, in both official languages as well as in Indigenous languages That was what I was commenting about easy customers. Netflix has a lot of content in English, and I'd imagine French, but they'd need to also support Indigenous languages. Are you suggesting Indigenous people are the small cadre of elites in Canada?
- aflag 3y agoDoes the bill single out netflix and amazon prime? Will the independent youtuber also have to support indigenous languages?
- capableweb 3y agoSupposedly, the bill is for companies who produce their own content (just like the existing broadcasting laws) and not for companies that serve user-generated content (like YouTube).
- aflag 3y agoYouTubers produce their own content, though. And they often are limited companies, as they need to pay an editor, receive sponsorship, etc. Sometimes it's easier to be a company, legally.
- speed_spread 3y agoI would soooo re-binge-watch Breaking Bad dubbed in Innu-Aimun!
- jszymborski 3y agoCancon is content made by Canadians, not propaganda censored by the gov't. Are Canadians simply incapable of making a good show? Shitt's Creek tore through the Emmy's just a few years ago.
- version_five 3y agoIt's the government subsidies that make it shitty, because they're not merit based, they're based on selection criteria that align with whatever the government wants to push. Canadians could make way better shows with less government intervention. As I said in another comment, the same is true for all of our industries. Instead of making stuff people want, everyone optimizes for getting government funding.
- SECProto 3y agoI'm Canadian, and I like CanCon rules. While this new law has major flaws, I still view it as a net positive.
- osigurdson 3y agoI'm Canadian and view it as a net negative.
- pcthrowaway 3y agoI think it's just going to lead to higher Netflix prices in Canada. The requirements honestly seem too harsh. 30% of revenue, not even profits. Ultimately, lots of Canadian artists and content producers will benefit, though other industries (software engineers, advertising, marketing, management, etc.) may be impacted. I'm.. kind of OK with this, but I wonder if the requirement will make these streaming services produce content that people aren't even asking for, just to satisfy the policy
- cscurmudgeon 3y ago> I'm sure it's nice to have Netflix pay Canadian taxes, but what is better is if Netflix helps create jobs for Canadians by using revenue that Netflix earns by operating in Canada. So Netflix's taxes in Canada are not helping Canadians so far?
- capableweb 3y agoThis is already the case, but it's not based by location but by languages. Spanish-speaking internet is vastly different from the English-speaking one, and so is the internet for Chinese, Russian, French, Portuguese speaking population. Every major language have their own corner of the internet. Anyone who is bilingual can tell you the same :)
- aflag 3y agoSort of. Most sites are available everywhere with the same content, the main exception being exactly netflix and other streaming platforms. Even though language is a barrier sometimes, it's not always. Translation software is getting better every day. Whereas, real time communication between people speaking different languages is not really possible (I can't think of a way for it to be smooth, really), but everything that can be done offline is already accessible by pretty much anyone who wants to give it a go.
- capableweb 3y agoTranslation software won't make you understand all the slang and idioms happening when communicating with people natively speaking the same language as you. "Hacemos una chancha" might literally mean "We make a pig" but that's not the meaning of it, and you'll miss a lot of context from conversations unless you're already aware of it, especially when it just looks like translation errors from the software rather than literal translations. Not to mention that depending on the language, you'll be using different websites. Not all Spanish memes are made for reddit or even Spanish speaking reddit.
- aflag 3y agoYou miss a bit, but you get most of it. Many people use them successfully to watch YouTube videos, read articles, etc. You can usually find what a meme means by googling it. A lot of American culture gets through to people who don't speak English. To the point of even adopting English expressions in their daily lives. A lot of it has to do with the fact that the internet is currently not as split up as you propose. Heck, before I spoke English I'd play Ultima Online with people from the US. I managed to join a guild and interact with them in the 90s, with bad internet, bad translation software. Just by figuring out the game, picking a word here and there. I've seen people who don't speak Japanese interacting in Japanese communities by just using translators. When people have a shared passion or objective, language is really not a barrier.
- bee_rider 3y agoHow local are these laws? Maybe we’ll get BlueNet and RedNet in the US (although that might be confusing for some Spanish speakers).
- pandemicsyn 3y agoThis was also the topic of the first 20-30 minutes of last weeks Wan Show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSOF8RFrihM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSOF8RFrihM) where he also shared some anecdotes from his interactions with political folks in Cananda. (For folks that might not be familiar - Linus runs a pretty popular set of youtube channels and is based in Canada)
- mynegation 3y agoAs a Canadian, I am of two minds about it. FM radio is required to broadcast Canadian produced or performed music at least for 35% of the time. There are not too many, in absolute numbers, songs that are both Canadian and popular which results in few songs being broadcast to death. At least that was the case when I used to listen to FM radio. On the other hand, that legislation certainly helped Canadian artists.
- capableweb 3y agoLook forward to seeing the same thing on YouTube, Twitter and other online services from now on in Canada. At least 30% of the videos your feed contain will be from some Canadian "influencers" that the government approved. Regulation will continue being created to force content upon you until you start liking the content.
- threads2 3y agoGovernment-approved, advertiser-approved - what's the diff? It's all garbage when it's being forced on you.
- kranke155 3y agoDid you read the article ? It specifically says user generated content is NOT covered.
- capableweb 3y agoDid you? :) It specifically says that addition was proposed but then denied so it's still unclear.
- kranke155 3y agoMy understanding is everyone involved tried to clarify that it’s not covered. Not sure why the addition isn’t there
- version_five 3y ago
- tenpies 3y agoThis is a CBC article so keep in mind its bias in favour of the Liberals who pushed this bill through. For anyone interested in a more balanced view, Michael Geist is law professor, research chair, and overall internet policy nerd. I highly recommend his review of the bill: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/04/billc11end/ https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/04/billc11end/ It's also interesting to put what the Trudeau Liberals are doing in perspective. This is just one of three internet censorship bills that they will pass before 2026. C-11 (this bill), will allow the Liberals to dictate what platforms show. Simply put, the books aren't being censored, they're just telling the book stores what should be on the shelves. It also adds what is effectively a new tax for content creators which the Federal government will distribute for Canadian content. Keep an eye for scandals about how these funds were distributed in a couple of years. C-18 is the next one. In short, the Trudeau Liberals will implement another a tax on links, so aggregators such as Google may be forced to pay when they link to say the CBC. Google has already said they may simply stop linking to news services in Canada if they pass this, giving the government funded Canadian news agencies even more power. Good write up: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/02/billc18reality/ https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2023/02/billc18reality/ The Online Safety Bill - not yet formally proposed - will likely be the coup de gras. Not much is known yet, but given how easily you can censor anything under the guise of "safety" and the Liberal's proclivity towards extra-judicial action, it probably won't be good. Overall, Canada's internet will look very North Korean by the time the next elections roll about. If you're visiting, you should probably have a VPN ready to go before you cross the border.
- diego_moita 3y ago> Overall, Canada's internet will look very Chinese or possibly even North Korean by the time the next elections roll about. Oh, I see. And you're accusing the CBC of "bias"?
- biggoodwolf 3y agoYou did not dispel his argument, even if biased; how different would it be from North Korea? (That's hyperbole but this person has a good point)
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- asjfka 3y ago>The government has insisted that the legislation is not intended to regulate independent content creators. What does that means? If I upload videos on Youtube, then I'm probably in the clear. But if I make my own website with videos on it, am I still an "independent content creators" or am I now a streaming service in need of being regulated? How big I need to become before the law apply to me? Is this a new barrier to entry so the little guys are stuck with existing platform?
- goosedragons 3y agoThe Senate put in an amendment to explicitly make that clear but the house of commons stripped it out citing "loopholes". So I wouldn't be surprised if any reasonably sized YouTube channel gets impacted despite being users of a social network.
- busymom0 3y agoIf you upload to YouTube, why couldn’t you still be an independent content creator? Like writers on Substack are still considered independent.
- asjfka 3y agoI don't know. My question was if you don't.
- bitwize 3y agoFun fact: The "Canadian content" requirement for broadcast was parodied by SCTV, who in order to fill the letter of the law aired a skit featuring two of the most stereotypically Canuck characters imaginable: Bob and Doug McKenzie.
- jtode 3y agoNot just one skit. Bob and Doug are as fundamental to our cultural DNA now as Gord Downie. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas reunite occasionally to do commercials for Mr Lube and stage video for Rush, and they never get accused of greed or whatever cause we all are just so happy to see them again. For a quick crash course, find and watch Strange Brew, their feature film, which today is like a vacation in early 80s Toronto. But all the old SCTV shows are worth digging up, it had three different lives and each is fantastic, but different.
- scj 3y agoWeird Al hosted a Muchmusic special in the 90s and had to resolve a "CanCon Alarm" by inserting himself into an Alanis Morsette music video. EDIT: https://archive.org/details/al-music/AL+Music+3.mp4 https://archive.org/details/al-music/AL+Music+3.mp4 at 49:51
- Sytten 3y agoThe French speaking part of Canada of which I am a part of generally view this legislation positively since it does mean more money for culture in French. Money that currently goes toward English content. Now if we could actually produce quality shows it would be great (right now its like 90% bad soap/romcom/cop shows), otherwise the younger generations (me included) will just continue to watch US English content. If I want to watch good content in French I search for stuff made in France (ARTE on youtube, Backseat on twitch, etc).
- croes 3y agoEven if it includes porn streaming? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35775232 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35775232
- kranke155 3y agoQuotas are great exactly for this reason. In France before quotas in cinemas, the quality of the films was poor. But when you he cinemas were forced to show French film in. x amount of screenings, desperate not to lose money they started to fund the films themselves and make films that were as profitable as possible. This led to a positive loop where 1. The cinemas would look for lucrative films to fund 2. Creating a demand on local filmmakers to make films that people wanted to see 3. Which became hits 5. Leading to cinemas looking for more French films to put on Etc
- goosedragons 3y agoI'm not sure it always works. Canada has had this system in place for radio and TV for ~50 years. Radio has sort of worked maybe but TV? No way. Maybe once a decade there's a half decent show worth watching.
- pulvinar 3y agoIt's funny that this is needed for streaming, because it seems like every time I look up a filming location, it's Canada. Good ol' "Hollywood North".
- osigurdson 3y agoOpponents view this as a general censorship bill. I’m not convinced but definitely feel that this is completely unnecessary.
- spare_farts 3y ago[dead]
- nemo44x 3y ago[flagged]
- rektide 3y agoI both want diverse cultures to flourish & be celebrated but wow, this is not the way. Bossing around entities on the internet to give special treatment to your niche causes is the new thing, is what everyone all of a sudden is giving themselves laws to do. It just has such limits, pushing other people around to give yourself favor. How is the internet supposed to keep on, when every nation demands their pound of flesh, their personal asks?
- voisin 3y ago> Bossing around entities on the internet to give special treatment to your niche causes is the new thing, is what everyone all of a sudden is giving themselves laws to do. In Canada the only unique thing here is the “on the Internet” component of your sentence. Canada has been bullying business of all sorts into all sorts of things under the guise of “culture” for decades. Apparently our culture is so weak that it can’t stand up on its own and needs the entire edifice of government to prop it up.
- donatj 3y ago> Apparently our culture is so weak that it can’t stand up on its own and needs the entire edifice of government to prop it up. It's interesting to me that I live reasonably close to the Canadian border on the US side and yet literally the only Canadian media I know of is Trailer Park Boys / Letterkenny.
- brewdad 3y agoYou forgot Hockey Night.
- agentofoblivion 3y agoIt’s astounding to me that the bulk of replies in this thread are supportive. Yay big government! Yay Brave New World!
- mlb893 3y ago
- mlb893 3y agoControversial to no one. This is something we wanted.
- alfor 3y agoI hate this. Always more and more control from our government that know what is good for us! I can’t stand this government and hope people wake up and switch at next elections.
- onlyrealcuzzo 3y agoGovernment is a reflection of people's votes in a democracy. People think individually they know better than everyone else, so they vote for people who think that, too. Leopards don't change their spots. I doubt people are going to stop thinking they know better than everyone else any time soon. I hope so, but I doubt it.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- danioli 3y agoWhatever needs to happen so I don't have to listen or watch English or American shows all the time, I'm OK with that, and I assume these are my tax dollars working for me. I see a lot of negativity regarding "The French" (their TV programs, their culture, and OMG their communist government?!?) and I just hate it every time I see it. The demeaning attitudes are hurtful, and don't usually contribute anything.
- lukedegruchy 3y agoI'm a Canadian who's been following C-11 and before that C-10 for the 2 years the government has been working to pass this legislation. Here is the best summary I've read so far: https://allenmendelsohn.com/2023/04/welcome-to-the-online-streaming-act-era/ https://allenmendelsohn.com/2023/04/welcome-to-the-online-st... Digital first creators, Canadian YouTubers and TikTokers (ex Linus Tech Tips), stand to lose the most from this. Their livelihoods are under threat. This is because of a clause in the bill that seeks to regulate user generated content. Months of senate testimony concluding that user generated content is in scope of the bill. The senate introduced an amendment to exclude user generated content, but the government rejected the amendment, while insisting this will not affect user generated content. The heritage minister claimed in an interview that the only opposition to this bill came from YouTube. This is despite months of testimony from digital first creators expressing grave concerns about this bill. Other facts to keep in mind about C-11: 1. The heritage minister gets to define Canadian content only after the bill has passed 2. Cabinet can overrule any decisions made by the CRTC, the Canadian equivalent of the FCC.
- rubatuga 3y agoWhy do Canadian YouTubers have a lot to lose? Why are their livelihoods under threat? Why specifically excluding LTT? In your linked article there's a lot of emotion but not a lot of reasons.
- anticensor 3y agoCompanies might apply reciprocal arrangements to non-Canadians, demoting the Canadian content outside Canada, to make their stance obvious. Which would mean demotion of LTT.
- lukedegruchy 3y agoC-11 is about algorithms (more specifically, the requirements that govern algorithms) and discoverability. The former CRTC commissioner as well as the senate confirmed that user generated content is within the scope of the bill: https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2022/11/oops-he-did-again-crtc-chair-ian-scott-tries-to-walk-back-bill-c-11-comments-but-officials-confirm-power-to-regulate-user-content-is-in-the-bill/ https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2022/11/oops-he-did-again-crtc-c... It is traditional broadcasters that lobbied for this bill. The senate heard months of testimony from digital first creators who believe this bill will negatively impact them. That's why the added the UGC amendment that the government rejected.
- osigurdson 3y agoOther countries should introduce a tariff on all Canadian content - fight fire with fire. I'm Canadian but I don't think such protectionist policies are ultimately helpful.
- walterbell 3y ago> The legislation requires streaming services, such as Netflix and Spotify, to pay to support Canadian media content like music and TV shows. Canada deleted their Youtube channel with 3,000+ digitally restored works of Canadian Content, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35716982 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35716982
- juancampa 3y agoA similar law was passed in Venezuela in ~2005. It forced radio stations to play traditional Venezuelan music as a percent of all their airtime. From the only article I could find in english [0]: > The law can make listening to the radio an adventure in dizzying contrasts. One minute a disc jockey is playing American rap, and the next minute it’s flutes and fiddles from the Andean highlands. It pushed some local artist to get creative and come out with some electronic traditional music, which frakly, sucked. Oh, and radio stations worked around the required quota by playing the mandated music very late at night. [0] https://archive.is/TTQjG#selection-1173.443-1173.639 https://archive.is/TTQjG#selection-1173.443-1173.639
- xyzzy_plugh 3y agoCanada already has this law, for as long as I can remember.
- pseudo0 3y agoIt sounds cruel and unusual to torment the population with Nickelback and Justin Bieber.
- busymom0 3y agoAre those considered Canadian content? Correct me if I am wrong, Bieber’s music is produced in the US.
- goosedragons 3y ago