Last Wednesday evening (27), the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act.

The project has sparked controversy in the country, as it requires streaming companies like Netflix and Spotify to pay a percentage to support Canadian artists, in the same way traditional broadcasters in the country already do.

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According to the statement posted on the Government of Canada’s website, the law subjects online platforms to the same rules as broadcasters in the country and will require companies to promote Canadian content:

Online companies must clearly promote and support Canadian programming in the official and Indigenous languages.

Government of Canada.

Currently, as reported by the CBC, broadcasters across the country are required to spend at least 30% of their revenue supporting domestic content.

For decades, Canadian broadcasters have invested in and introduced us to the incredible Canadian shows that so many of us love. We’re updating our laws so that online streamers are required to contribute similarly and equally.

Government of Canada.

Before being passed, the bill was criticized by tech companies like YouTube and TikTok. Google even launched a campaign against the legislation.

TikTok, which had warned that the law could affect users, said it hoped the government would keep its promise and not regulate user content on the social network.

“First digital creators now simply have to wait for the government to deliver on its promise not to regulate user-generated content,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

The regulations will be made by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which can sanction and amend streams that do not comply with the new law.

With information from CBC and Engadget.

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