Meta has been announcing for some time that it will restrict the dissemination of news within Facebook and Instagram. This time, the announcement concerns the Canadian public.
The attitude came following the approval of a bill in parliament which directly affects digital news.
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Understand how news can be limited in Canada
The bill forces major platforms to compensate news publishers for content published on their sites. Meta and Google are already testing limiting access to information for some Canadians.
In 2021, Australian users were blocked from sharing or viewing news on Facebook in response to a similar law. In fact, this is a threat to all countries that tend to walk in the same direction.
Canada's Online News Act passed the Senate on Thursday. It lays out rules requiring platforms like Meta and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news organizations for their content.
“A legislative framework requiring us to pay for links or content that we don't publish, and which are not the reason the vast majority of people use our platforms, is neither sustainable nor viable," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters.
Laws that ignore platform realities
Meta called the law "fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how our platforms work." The information was publicly disclosed in the world press.
Last Thursday, it said news availability will be terminated on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada. This happened even before the bill entered into force.
In turn, the Google called the bill "unworkable" in its current form. He also said he was trying to work with the government to find a "way forward".
The federal government says the online news bill is necessary. The reason would be “to increase fairness in the Canadian digital news market”. Furthermore, it could allow struggling news organizations to “secure fair compensation” for information and links shared across platforms.
If all goes as it should, the new law should go into effect by the end of this year in Canada.
