Meta said on Thursday that it is stopping news availability in Canada on Facebook and Instagram before a new law takes effect.
The new law, Online News Act requires companies like Facebook to pay publishers for their content, reports Reuters.
Canadian Parliament approved this legislation on Thursday. To come into force, the Online News Act must be signed by the country’s Governor General, which is a formality.
Thelegislation was passed after Canadian news outlets complained that Facebook and other similar companies were elbowing out of the news business.
Facebook opposed this move saying,“News has no economic value to the company and that its users do not use the platform for news.”
Soon after the Parliament approved the law, Meta said, “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 taking effect.”
In a blog post, Meta added, “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.”
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No word from Google
It is unclear whether Google will stop Canadians from searching for news.
National Post reported that Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez held last-minute talks with Google on Thursday afternoon.
The Minister responded to Meta’s announcement by saying that Meta currently has no obligations under the act and that the federal government will engage in a “regulatory and implementation process” following royal assent of Bill C-18.
“Bullying tactics would not work”
Canadian Prime Minister is in no mood to compromise with Meta, says CBS.
On June 7, Trudeau said, “The fact that these internet giants would rather cut off Canadians’ access to local news than pay their fair share is a real problem…It’s not going to work.”
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