June 26, 2023
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has said it will restrict news on its platforms to Canadian consumers after parliament passed a controversial online news bill.
The bill, known as the Online News Act, forces big platforms like Meta and Google to compensate news publishers for content posted on their sites. Meta said news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada – before the bill takes effect. But the changes to news would not have an impact on other services for Canadian users.
“A legislative framework that compels us to pay for links or content that we do not post, and which are not the reason the vast majority of people use our platforms, is neither sustainable nor workable,” a Meta spokesperson said. Meta goes on to describe the law as a fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how its platforms work.
The Canadian government says the online news bill is necessary “to enhance fairness in the Canadian digital news market” and to allow struggling news organizations to “secure fair compensation” for news and links shared on the platforms.
The move by Meta is likely to be met with criticism from news publishers in Canada, who have been lobbying for the government to pass the Online News Act. However, the government has defended the law, saying it is necessary to ensure that news publishers are fairly compensated for their content.
The sources for this piece include an article in BBC.
