Meta has started to end access to news publications on its platforms in Canada with the changes expected to roll out over the coming weeks as it continues to argue about a proposed law that would force the company to pay news publishers.
Writing on X, Andy Stone, the company’s communications director said that Canada’s Online News Act was “based on a fundamentally flawed premise” and that the “only way we can reasonably comply is to end news availability in Canada.”
Today we’ve begun the process of ending news availability in Canada. Changes will roll out over a few weeks.
As we’ve always said, the law is based on a fundamentally flawed premise. And, regrettably, the only way we can reasonably comply is to end news availability in Canada. https://t.co/OtpxOW1eUp
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) August 1, 2023
The Online News Act is very similar to and based off Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code that, in the eyes of our government, has proven a “success to date.”
The Code made it a requirement for Facebook and Google to negotiate commercial deals with major publishers and, so far, some 30-odd deals have been struck between the platforms and news outlets.
In fact, the Code has been so successful in the eyes of the government that it is considering adding TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter to the list of named companies that must negotiate deals with publishers.
“Over the last two years, we’ve furthered our significant contribution to the Australian news industry by launching News Showcase and signing agreements with more than 70 Australian news businesses, representing 200 mastheads across the country. The majority of these outlets are regional or local,” said Lucinda Longcroft, Google Australia’s director of government affairs & public policy.
Meta, however, has said that while the Code “has been globally touted by publishers as a successful model to
support public interest journalism, it is better described as an untidy and short-term compromise that we have nonetheless tried to work with in good faith.”
Back in Canada, the tensions between the government and tech platforms have been escalating. Last month, the government pulled its ad spend from Meta’s platforms and the country’s heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez said that Meta’s decision to block news was “unreasonable” and “irresponsible.”
