Meta has said it
will begin to restrict news on its platforms to Canadian consumers after
parliament passed a controversial online news bill.
The bill forces
big platforms to compensate news publishers for content posted on their sites.
Meta and Google
have both already been testing limiting access to news to some Canadians.
In 2021,
Australian users were blocked from sharing or viewing news on Facebook in
response to a similar law.
Canada's Online
News Act, which cleared the senate on Thursday, lays out rules requiring
platforms like Meta and Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news
organisations for their content.
Meta has called
the law "fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of
how our platforms work".
On Thursday, it
said news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in
Canada - before the bill takes effect.
"A
legislative framework that compels us to pay for links or content that we do
not post, and which are not the reason the vast majority of people use our
platforms, is neither sustainable nor workable," a Meta spokesperson told
Reuters.
The company said
the changes to news would not have an impact on other services for Canadian
users.
Google called
the bill "unworkable" in its current form and said it was seeking to
work with the government to find a "path forward".
The federal
government says the online news bill is necessary "to enhance fairness in
the Canadian digital news market" and to allow struggling news
organisations to "secure fair compensation" for news and links shared
on the platforms.
An analysis
of the bill by an independent parliament budget watchdog estimated
news businesses could receive about C$329m ($250m; £196m) per year from digital
platforms.
Earlier this
month, Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez told Reuters the tests being
run by the tech platforms were "unacceptable" and a
"threat".
In Australia,
Facebook restored news content to its users after talks with the government led
to amendments.
On Thursday, Mr
Rodriguez's office said he had met both Google and Facebook this week and
planned further discussions - but the government would move forward with the
bill's implementation.
"If the
government can't stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?" he
said in a statement.
Media industry
groups hailed the bill's passage as a step towards market fairness.
"Real
journalism, created by real journalists, continues to be demanded by Canadians
and is vital to our democracy, but it costs real money," said Paul Deegan,
president and chief executive officer of News Media Canada, a media industry
group, said in a statement
The Online News
Act is expected to take effect in Canada in six months.
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