Social media giant Meta has made the decision to remove news content from its popular platforms, Facebook and Instagram, in Canada. The move comes as the country prepares to implement the Online News Act, a legislation that requires internet giants to pay news publishers. Meta confirmed that news availability will be discontinued on its platforms in Canada before the Online News Act comes into effect.
The introduction of this law in Canada is in response to the media industry’s call for stricter regulations on tech companies, aiming to prevent them from exploiting the online advertising market for news sales. The legislation includes provisions that mandate platforms like Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial agreements and compensate news publishers for their content. A similar law was previously passed in Australia.
Meta, along with other tech companies, has been planning this move as it believes news content holds no economic value for its platforms. The company states that its users do not primarily access Facebook and Instagram for news consumption.
On the other hand, tech companies like Google have expressed concerns about the law, arguing that it goes beyond the scope of previous regulations enacted in Australia and Europe. Google suggests revising the law to base payment on the display of news content rather than links, and to limit eligibility for payment to businesses that produce news and adhere to journalistic standards.
Previously, Google and Facebook had threatened to limit their services in Australia when a similar law was implemented. However, they later reached agreements with Australian media companies after amendments were made to the regulations.
