Users of Facebook And Instagram In Canada They will not be able to watch media information, as parent company Meta announced on Thursday (06/22/2023), after Ottawa approved a bill that requires digital giants to pay for this content.
Google, another of those affected, previously said it was considering the same measure.
The two Silicon Valley giants opposed the Canadian bill, which aims to support the local journalism sector, which has seen hundreds of publications close over the past decade.
“Exciting news! (No pun intended),” Heritage Minister Pablo Rodríguez tweeted after the bill passed the Senate, the final step before becoming law.
Rodríguez said Meta’s decision to block news content was regrettable, but promised to “defend Canadians against tech giants.”
His office said it met with Facebook and Google this week and expected further meetings to discuss the new law.
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized Meta for testing news content from some Canadian users, saying the company was “deeply irresponsible” in refusing to pay journalists for their work.
Opposition to the bill, he said, was “misguided (and) dangerous for our democracy and for our economy.”
In February, Google also temporarily limited access to information for Canadian users of its popular search engine.
gs (afp, dpa)
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