Meta says it has begun the process of ending news availability for Canadians on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to the Online News Act.
On Tuesday, the company announced the changes are starting today and will be “implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada over the course of the next few weeks.”
Prior to today, Meta was running a test that limited news for up to five per cent of its users, but now it is moving out of the testing phase, according to the Canadian Press.
READ MORE: Meta starts to block Instagram users from seeing content on Canadian news accounts
“News links and content posted by news publishers and broadcasters in Canada will no longer be viewable by people in Canada. We are identifying news outlets based on legislative definitions and guidance from the Online News Act,” the statement read.
“People in Canada will no longer be able to view or share news content on Facebook and Instagram, including news articles and audio-visual content posted by news outlets,” it continued.
News publishers and broadcasters outside of Canada will continue to be able to post news content, but that content will not be viewable by people in Canada.
The Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, requires tech giants to enter into agreements that compensate Canadian news outlets for contents shared on their platforms.
Meta and Google spoke against the bill before it was passed and called on the government to reconsider its approach.
“The legislation is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line. In contrast, we know the people using our platforms don’t come to us for news,” Meta said in a statement.
Both tech giants then proceeded to conduct experimental news filtration tests on a select number of Canadians before the bill was passed in June 2023.
In a June blog post, Google and Alphabet’s President of Global Affairs Kent Walker said Google would have to remove Canadian news from its search, news and discover products in Canada.
“We’re disappointed it has come to this. We don’t take this decision or its impacts lightly and believe it’s important to be transparent with Canadian publishers and our users as early as possible,” Walker wrote.
However, it is unclear when Google will start blocking news searches for Canadians on its platform.
Canadians can continue to access news online by going to a news publisher’s website or mobile app.
