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Meta threatens to remove news content from Facebook and Instagram in Canada if proposed legislation to establish “fair revenue sharing” system becomes law.<\/p>\n
Why we care<\/strong> Any publisher that depends on traffic, engagement or brand awareness from Meta properties could see a significant loss if news content is blocked.<\/p>\n What Meta said.<\/strong> “We will have to end the availability of news content on Facebook and Instagram in Canada,” according to Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs. Calling it “flawed legislation,” he added that it would make Canada the “first democracy to put a price on free links to web pages, which goes against global norms.” Bloomberg<\/a> reported <\/p>\n Meta threatened to remove news from its platform last year because of US law<\/a> this would have allowed news companies to collectively bargain with social platforms over the terms on which their material appears on their sites. Facebook also had a separate confrontation with Australia<\/a> in 2021.<\/p>\n Online News Act<\/strong>. Known as Bill C-18, it “proposes a regime to regulate digital platforms that act as intermediaries in Canada’s media ecosystem in order to improve fairness in the Canadian digital news market.” seconds<\/a> on the Government of Canada site.<\/p>\n Google has already limited access to news in Canada.<\/strong> Earlier this year, Google tested blocking news across all Canadian publisher websites, Google Search, Google Discover, and other Google surfaces. This test was limited to less than 4% of Canadians. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land in February that this was a “potential product response to Bill C-18.”<\/p>\n