In an unprecedented move, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has begun blocking all news content on its platforms in Canada. (We reported HERE ). This radical change is a response to the new “ Online News Act ” in Canada and is expected to affect all users in the country in the next few weeks.

Canada: The storm is coming

Meta is protesting a Canadian law that requires it to negotiate with news publishers and pay them for their content. The block not only affects news publishers who have accounts on the two platforms, but also links shared by users. For example, if a Canadian is friends with someone who lives in Kansas and that Kansan shares a link on Facebook to an article, the Canadian friend will not be able to see it.

Facebook itself writes:

To comply with the Online News Act, we have begun the process of discontinuing news availability in Canada.
These changes begin today and will roll out to all Facebook and Instagram users in Canada in the coming weeks. For Canadian news outlets, this means news links and content posted by news publishers and broadcasters in Canada will no longer be visible to people in Canada.
We identify news organizations based on the legal definitions and guidelines of the Online News Act. For international news outlets, this means news outlets and broadcasters outside of Canada can continue to post news links and content, but that content will not be visible to people in Canada.
For our Canadian community, this means people in Canada will no longer be able to see or share news content on Facebook and Instagram, including news articles and audiovisual content posted by news outlets.
For our international community, this means there will be no change to our services for people using our technologies outside of Canada.

Between the lines

This news sparked strong reactions on Twitter, which is currently being renamed “X”. Journalists from local Canadian newspapers IndigiNews and The Sarnia Journal spoke out against Meta's change. Meta calls the change a "business decision" and argues that it is blocking news to comply with the Online News Act.

The reproach

Meta further claims that the Canadian government is building its new law “on the false premise that Meta unduly profits from news content shared on our platforms.” The company insists that news organizations actually benefit from sharing their information on their platforms, and people don't come to Facebook or Instagram to read news.

Consequences and reactions

When the law received royal assent in June, Meta announced that he would make good on his threat and take this extraordinary step. Google is planning a similar action for local news, which it will begin blocking when the law goes into effect — “ no later than 180 days ” after its passage on June 22.

Impact on the media landscape

  1. Interference with information dissemination: Meta's decision disrupts the free flow of news and information on its platforms.
  2. User frustration: Canadian users who are used to consuming news content on Facebook and Instagram may be frustrated and disappointed.
  3. Pressure on other platforms: Platforms like Twitter and Google could also come under pressure to take similar actions.

Conclusion

Meta's decision to block news content in Canada marks a turning point in the relationship between tech companies and news publishers. It shows that the question of how news is distributed and monetized online is becoming increasingly complex and controversial. The impact of this decision will be far-reaching and could permanently alter the digital news landscape.

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )