Meta permanently ends news availability on its platforms in Canada

TORONTO

Meta, the parent company of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, officially began Tuesday to discontinue news availability in Canada, according to a statement.

The move was expected in response to the passing of the Online News Act, or Bill C-18, by the Canadian government in June.

"In order to provide clarity to the millions of Canadians and businesses who use our platforms, we are announcing today that we have begun the process of ending news availability permanently in Canada," Rachel Curran, Meta's head of public policy in Canada, said in a statement, as reported by CBC.

"In the future, we hope the Canadian government will recognize the value we already provide the news industry and consider a policy response that upholds the principles of a free and open internet," she added.

The new law mandates that tech companies, including Google and Meta, compensate media outlets for sharing or reusing news content on their platforms.

In preparation for the implementation the law, Meta had already been blocking news content for certain Canadians. Now, this restriction is being expanded nationwide.

Canadians will no longer have access to view or post news content on Facebook or Instagram. Besides, domestic and international news outlets will have their content blocked on those platforms.

The process of implementing these changes across Meta's platforms is anticipated to take a few weeks.

Bill C-18

The Online News Act was passed into law June 22 in Canada.

It mandates that companies such as Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), and their respective platforms like Instagram, pay news organizations for each user accessing web stories through their product links.

The bill aims to support news outlets financially as advertising has largely shifted to digital platforms, significantly affecting revenues.