OTTAWA: The social media application Facebook also known as Meta has begun the process to end access to news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada, it said in response to law requiring internet providers to pay news publishers.
The Canadian government in a quick response condemned the action, labeling it as “irresponsible” and said the world is watching the process being played out in Canada.
The Online News Act, which has been passed by the Canadian parliament, aims to compel major tech platforms like Google parent company Alphabet and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) to negotiate commercial agreements with Canadian news publishers for the usage of their content.
“We know that users primarily use our platforms for purposes other than news consumption,” Rachel Curran, Meta’s head of public policy in Canada, said.
Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge, responsible for the government’s interactions with Meta, said in a Tuesday statement, “This is irresponsible.”
“We’re going to keep standing our ground. After all, if the Government can’t stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?” she added.
“They would rather block their users from accessing good quality and local news instead of paying their fair share to news organizations,” St-Onge said.
In response to the law, both Meta and Google announced in June that they would block access to news on their platforms in Canada.
This move mirrors a similar scenario in Australia in 2021, where tech companies also threatened to restrict their services due to a similar law.
Ultimately, both Google and Facebook reached agreements with Australian media companies after certain amendments were made to the legislation.
Google has raised concerns about the Canadian law, arguing that it is more comprehensive than the laws enacted in Australia and Europe. The law places a monetary value on news story links displayed in search results and may apply to outlets that do not primarily produce news content.
Meta stated that news articles constitute less than 3 percent of the content on their users’ feeds and contended that news lacks significant economic value.
Justin Trudeau Canadian Prime Minister has said in May that such an argument of Meta was flawed and “dangerous to our democracy and economy.”
