Meta Threatens to Ban Canadian News Outlets from Facebook Due to New Online News Act
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- 17 Mar 2023
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Here we go again.
With the Canadian Government looking to implement a new Online News Act, which would effectively force major platforms like Meta and Google to negotiate commercial deals with local news publishers, Meta has threatened to remove Canadian news outlets from Facebook entirely, if the act is passed in its current form.
The Canadian Government is seeking to address imbalances in the local media market, where Meta and Google have gradually taken more and more of the ad market share. But Meta has argued that it doesn’t actually need news content, as per the basis of the legislation, given that most users don’t come to its platforms for news access.
Meta says that it will stand by this if the new rules are enforced, and block Canadian media outlets completely.
Sound familiar?
Back in 2021, the Australian Government established a similar Media Bargaining Code, which is designed to force Meta and Google to share revenue with Australian publishers for any use of news content, including links to their sites.
The aim of the code is to ‘address bargaining power imbalances between digital platforms and media companies’, and ensure that local news publishers are able to keep making money, essentially sustaining local journalism in the new digital environment.
But the legislation has always been flawed, and as both Meta and Google have argued, it makes little sense to enact such rules on the platforms that help deliver news to audiences. Read More…
