In response to Meta’s decision to block access to Associated Press news content

on their social platforms as part of an interim lawsuit.

The Canadian government has announced that it will stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodríguez announced the decision of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government at a press conference.

Canada’s decision is the latest installment in a dispute that began after the Trudeau administration proposed a bill that would force tech companies to pay publishers to link to or reuse their content online.

Meta promised at the time to block Canadian news content on its Facebook and Instagram platforms to respond to Canada’s recently passed online news law.

Rodríguez said Meta’s decision was “unreasonable” and “irresponsible” and that Canada would stop advertising on its platforms as a result.

He said the federal government spends about C$10 million (about $7.5 million) a year to advertise on the platforms.

This money, he added, will go to other advertising campaigns.

Shortly after the federal announcement, Quebec Premier Francois Legault tweeted that the province would also suspend advertising on Facebook and Instagram, and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said on Twitter that the city would stop advertising. run ads on Facebook.

Reacting to the latest Canadian announcement, a Meta spokesperson said the Online Information Act is “flawed legislation that ignores the realities of how our platforms operate.”

He said the company does not collect links to news content for display on its social platforms and publishers choose to post them on Facebook or Instagram.

“Unfortunately, the regulatory process is not equipped to make changes to fundamental features of the legislation that have historically been problematic, so we expect to comply by ending the availability of information in Canada in the coming weeks,” the spokesperson said in a statement sent. at the Associated Press.

Google also promised to start blocking Canadian news when the bill takes effect in six months.

Rodríguez said the government is in talks with the company and believes their concerns will be addressed by the regulations that will come to implement the bill. (AFP)