Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has decided to discontinue the sharing of news content on its platforms in Canada starting Tuesday.
This move is a response to the Canadian government’s new Online News Act, or C-18, which would obligate tech giants like Meta and Google to negotiate payment arrangements with Canadian news publishers for the use of their content. Meta, for its part, had previously warned the government of its intent to remove news content if the law was enacted.
“In order to comply with the Online News Act, we have begun the process of ending news availability in Canada. These changes start today, and will be implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada over the course of the next few weeks,” reads a statement from Meta.
Rachel Curran, the head of public policy for Meta in Canada, expressed that the law incorrectly assumes that Meta is unfairly benefiting from the news shared on its platforms. “News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line. In contrast, we know the people using our platforms don’t come to us for news,” she explained.
As a result of this policy change by Meta, Canadians won’t be able to share news stories from Canadian sources on Facebook or Instagram, and news from international outlets will also be blocked.
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