Facebook and Instagram users in Canada will not be able to view news from media outlets, parent company Meta announced on Thursday (22/06/2023), after Ottawa approved a bill that would force the digital giants to pay for such content.
Google, another of those affected, had 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),” tweeted Heritage Minister Pablo Rodríguez after the bill passed the Senate, the final step before becoming law.
Rodriguez said Meta's decision to block news content was regrettable, but vowed to “defend Canadians against the tech giants.”
His office said it met with Facebook and Google this week and expects 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 restricted access to information for Canadian users of its popular search engine.
gs (afp, dpa)
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