Meta announced that it would block access to news published on Facebook and Instagram for all users who use these platforms in Canada, following the approval of the Online News Act by that country's Parliament.

The Online News Act or Bill C-18 is a rule that Canada raised earlier this year that seeks to have tech platforms like Meta partner with media outlets to share revenue. Indeed, a large part of the revenue generated by news from these media remains on these platforms.

In this context, the company led by Mark Zukerberg already announced at the beginning of the month that it was carrying out tests to “create an effective solution to end the availability of information following the C-18”. These tests are currently underway and affect “a small percentage” of users in Canada.

Today, the Canadian Parliament approved the entry into force of the Online News Act and Meta confirmed that access to news on its main platforms will no longer be available to all users in Canada “before its entry into force in force “.

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As he noted in a statement on his blog, to comply with Bill C-18, media content “including editors and broadcasters” will no longer be accessible to people who access their platforms at Canada.

However, Meta also noted that the changes focused on news content will not affect the rest of the company's products and services in Canada. Thus, they reiterated and assured Canadian users who use their platforms “that they will always be able to connect with friends and family, grow their businesses and support their local communities”.

Likewise, the company recalled that it would continue to “fight against misinformation” regarding content that remains available in Canada. In this sense, he appreciates having built “the largest fact-checking network in the world”, by partnering with more than 90 independent fact-checking organizations, which examine and evaluate misinformation in more than 60 languages .

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