Mélanie Joly Places Global Internet Co’s On Notice

By External Source

Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is warning American internet giants to brace for new legislation that will crack down on threats to Canadian culture.

In comments from an interview published on Wednesday by Montreal daily newspaper Le Devoir, Joly said that new legislation could soon force companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon (GAFA) to be more transparent about how their technology, specifically algorithms, is changing society.

"The fundamental problem is that (these companies) don't recognize their responsibilities," the minister was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "They don't recognize the magnitude of their power, due to their size, their reach and the impact that they have in sectors such as journalism and culture. There's a fundamental shift in culture that they have to do because it's (presently) very concerning."

She also noted in the interview that these companies get about 75 percent of online revenues and that they don't share this with content creators. She said this situation wasn't fair.

Joly's comments coincide with similar remarks made by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. The French minister said in an interview with RTL radio that France would pursue Google and Apple in court for millions of dollars in fines for allegedly imposing "abusive" terms on smaller companies and developers that sell software on Google Play and Apple's App Store.  –Full article in National Observer