Facebook and Instagram to Restrict News Sharing in Canada After New Media Law

Meta said it would restrict content from news outlets on Facebook and Instagram to comply with a new Canadian media law. 

Canada’s New Law: The law, called the Online News Act, will make tech companies pay fees for content from domestic news organizations posted on their platforms. Supporters hope the law will help the struggling local news industry, which has lost hundreds of small outlets in recent decades. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said companies like Meta “would rather cut off Canadians’ access to local news than pay their fair share.”

Meta’s Response:In a statement, Meta said, “We have repeatedly shared that in order to comply with Bill C-18, passed today in Parliament, content from news outlets, including news publishers and broadcasters, will no longer be available to people accessing our platforms in Canada.” Google also criticized the law as “unworkable.”

For Context: Australia passed a similar law in 2021, prompting a similar response from Meta, although the social media giant later agreed to pay for Australian news. 

How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common across the spectrum, generally using similar language and framing to describe the story.