Meta blocked access to online news on Facebook and Instagram for users in Canada on Tuesday (8/1/2023). This blocking follows Meta’s refusal to be asked to pay for news content on its platform.
Meta-block decision news service online is a response to the Online News Act, which was passed by the Canadian Parliament in June 2023.
The Canadian government passed the Online News Act (UU) which requires technology platforms such as Google, Alphabet and Meta to pay royalties to news publishers for their content.
However, Meta firmly refused because, according to him, news publishers were voluntarily sharing their content to increase their revenue.
Rachel Curran, public policy manager at Meta at Kanda, said media outlets voluntarily share content on Instagram and Facebook to expand their audience and improve their bottom line.
Al Jazeera report, Wednesday (02/08/2023), according to Meta, users use their platform not to search for news.
“On the contrary, we know that people use our platform not to get information,” he said.
Aside from these major social media companies, Google also confirmed that it will block news content on its platform for users in Canada.
Response from the Canadian minister
Pascale St-Onge, the Minister of Canadian Heritage who is supposed to be responsible for the government’s relations with Meta, said the decision was irresponsible.
“They would rather prevent their users from accessing good quality local news than pay news organizations their fair share,” he said.
Previously, the Online News Act was also the subject of debate between Google and Meta, with the Australian government passing the law in 2021.
The Australian government subsequently made changes to the law. And both social media giants have struck deals with Australian media following the amendment.
Editor: Abdoul Hadi
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