Introduction

Meta Platforms announced on Tuesday that it has begun the process of ending all Canadian users’ access to news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to a law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers, Reuters reported.

The Online News Act, passed by the Canadian Parliament, would force companies like Alphabet, which owns Google, and Meta to enter into commercial agreements with Canadian news publishers to get their content.

“News outlets voluntarily share their content on (Facebook) and (Instagram) to grow their readership and increase revenue,” said Rachel Curran, director of public policy at Meta Canada. “On the contrary, we know that people who use our platforms do not come to us for news,” she added.

Canadian Heritage Minister Pascal Saint-Onge did not respond to a request for comment, as Saint-Onge is handling the government’s relationship with Meta.

In June, Meta and Google said they would block access to news on their platforms in Canada as part of a campaign against the law, part of a broader global effort to force tech companies to pay for news on their platforms.

Comparison with Australian Legislation

The Canadian legislation is similar to a law passed by Australia in 2021 that prompted threats from Google and Facebook to limit their services there.

But both companies ended up making deals with Australian media companies after the legislation was changed.

Regarding the Canadian law, Google claims it is more comprehensive than the laws in Australia and Europe because it sets a price for links to news articles displayed in search results and can apply to media outlets that do not publish news.

Meta stated that links to news articles made up less than 3 percent of the content on its users’ pages and argued that news had no economic value.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in May that this argument is flawed and “dangerous for our democracy and our economy.”