Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has elected to block access to news content in Canada in response to the passing of the country’s Online News Act. This regulation would require social media platforms and search engines to pay news publishers for the content posted on their sites.
According to the Canadian federal government, the new 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.
The country's ministers have welcomed the passing of the legislation, with Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez tweeting, “Exciting news! (No pun intended)."
Meta has called the law "fundamentally flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how our platforms work" and stated news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada before the bill takes effect...