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Meta to Block News Stories From Facebook, Instagram

Meta announced Thursday that it intends to stop sharing news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada.

The policy applies strictly to Canada because of recently passed legislation, Bill C-18, that limits access to information online.

The law requires “digital firms to pay domestic media organizations for their content,” The Washington Post reports.

It’s an attempt by the Canadian federal government to prop up corporate media and prevent citizens from acquiring un-biased news online.

Meta warned it would have to limit access to content to comply with the legislation and the company intends to follow through with that warning.

“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,” Meta said in a statement.

It may be 2023, but Canada is living in 1984.

“The Canadian government has recently passed Bill C-18, otherwise known as the Online News Act. On the surface, this may seem like a benign legislative move meant to protect the interests of Canadian news organizations. However, when you peel back the layers of this bureaucratic onion, what you find is an alarming attempt by the Trudeau government to prop up legacy media at the cost of our freedom to access information,” independent journalist Dan Knight wrote.

“Bill C-18 requires tech giants like Google and Meta to pay Canadian news organizations for their content appearing on these platforms. Sound reasonable? Maybe at first glance. But what it translates to is our government deciding which news sources are deemed worthy of compensation and which are not. That’s a dangerous precedent to set, as it inherently favors the traditional media outlets that have for years been in bed with the ruling class,” he added.

“Bill C-18 puts the government squarely in the centre of the newsroom. Canadians deserve unbiased news coverage. Journalists deserve to function as professionals independent of government pressure,” MP Rachael Thomas said.

The Washington Post reports:

The law, known as the Online News Act, is one part of a broad and contentious effort by the Canadian government to regulate the digital sphere and circumscribe the power of tech giants. Another law passed this year compelling streaming platforms such as Netflix to promote Canadian content to users in Canada also drew criticism.

It is also one of several similar proposals under consideration around the world that aim to sustain floundering news industries by requiring social media firms to negotiate compensation with media organizations for the content that is shared on their platforms.

“Canada’s law will force tech companies to negotiate compensation deals with news organizations for posting or linking to their work. If those negotiations fail, the two sides must enter binding arbitration to decide the appropriate compensation,” the outlet added.

Spencer Fernando discussed how Bill C-18 will impact Canadians:

The Liberals claim the Online News Act is about making ‘the big social media companies’ pay for content they are supposedly ‘stealing’ from publishers.

To put it politely, that is a patently absurd notion.

When someone posts a link on Facebook, nothing is being stolen. The platform to share the link wouldn’t exist without Facebook having provided it. Facebook doesn’t charge publishers for the provision of the platform. Posting on the platform brings more traffic – and thus more revenue – to those who use it.

To claim that any part of that process is ‘stealing’ is simply false.

So, what is the Online News Act really about?

First and foremost, it’s about the fact that online social media platforms have made it easier for Canadians to question the government and share information. It reduces the power of the government, because even when the government bails out media outlets, independent outlets can still thrive on social media. This creates an avenue for Canadians to – if they choose – bypass government narratives.

Read the full statement from Meta:

Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act (Bill C-18) taking effect.

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.

Earlier this month, we announced that we were conducting product tests to help us build an effective product solution to end news availability as a result of C-18. These tests are ongoing and currently impact a small percentage of users in Canada.

The changes affecting news content will not otherwise impact Meta’s products and services in Canada. We want to assure the millions of Canadians on our platforms that they will always be able to connect with friends and family, grow their businesses and support their local communities.

We will continue to combat misinformation and have built the largest global fact-checking network of any platform by partnering with more than 90 independent fact-checking organisations around the world who review and rate viral misinformation in more than 60 languages globally. Fact-checking will continue with respect to content that remains available in Canada.


 

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