The Online News Act is demanding tech companies to provide financial compensation to media outlets situated in the country due to Parliament's decision. In order to assure this outcome, Meta is carrying out a few weeks of item assessments to stop news access in Canada. This action is analogous to the regulation approved last year in Australia, ordering digital platforms like Facebook and Google to remunerate domestic media outlets when their material appears in search results or feeds.
Meta stated that, after the passing of the Online News Act, or Bill C-18, by Canada's federal government, it would be ending access to news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. The company is currently conducting several weeks of product tests to comply with the new legislation and, upon completion of them, news content in Canada will no longer be available. This follows a similar initiative that was put in place in Australia last year, when Meta blocked access to news and the pages of hospitals and emergency services. Meta later backed down, and, after two months of negotiations with media outlets, reached an agreement. More recently, California state lawmakers presented a bill proposing that online platforms with a certain user base or sales must pay eligible media outlets for hosting content. Once again, Meta asserted that if the California bill were to pass into law, it would be similarly blocking news from its platforms there. As for Canada, the company's product tests will be temporary, and it plans to end news availability on its platforms in this country permanently.
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