The parent company of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced it is ending news availability for all Canadian users.
Meta said Thursday that it is blocking news content from Facebook and Instagram in response to the federal government’s online news Bill C-18.
“We have repeatedly shared that in order to comply with Bill C-18, passed today in Parliament, content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to people accessing our platforms in Canada,” read a statement issued by Meta on Thursday.
Bill C-18 received royal assent and officially became law after it cleared the Senate in a final vote on Thursday afternoon.
According to the Department of Justice Canada, the law was created to support news businesses and online platforms in negotiating fair compensation when third parties with a dominant market position monetize their news content in an environment that has been disadvantageous to the creator.
“Facebook knows very well that they have no obligations under the act right now. Following Royal Assent of Bill #C18, the Government will engage in a regulatory and implementation process,” read a social media post from Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez. “If the Government can’t stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?”
While Bill C-18 does not name any specific media companies in the legislation, it applies to large platforms such as Facebook (Meta), and Google. If those companies decide to stop making news content available to Canadians, they will no longer be obligated to share their profits.
Google previously said it hopes to avoid pulling Canadian news, with Richard Gringas, the vice-president of Google News, stating that he believes the bill will see existing support to Canadian news publishers slow down or stop.
“Unfortunately, C-18 will not encourage the continuation or expansion of publisher licensing agreements, as it is intended to do,” Gringas wrote in a letter delivered to the Senate Standing Committee last month. “And it may jeopardize current products, services and investments that benefit the news ecosystem and all Canadians.”
Meta added the changes affecting news content will not impact products and services in Canada, and it will continue to combat misinformation with respect to content that remains available in Canada.
