As soon as a Canadian law passed by parliament forcing internet corporations to pay news publishers goes into effect, Meta aims to remove news from Facebook and Instagram for all users in the country, the company said.
The Online News Act was adopted by the Senate’s upper chamber and will become a formality after getting the governor general’s formal royal approval.
The measure was put up in response to objections made by the Canadian media sector, which wants more stringent regulation of digital firms to stop them from driving news organizations out of the online advertising market.
In a statement, Meta said: “Today, we are confirming that news availability will be ended on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada prior to the Online News Act taking effect.”
The federal government of Canada has thus far opposed requests for modifications. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated earlier this month that Meta and Google were using “bullying tactics” in their opposition to the law.
Both Google and Facebook had previously threatened to reduce their presence in Australia if similar regulations were enacted there. After the law was changed, both eventually reached agreements with Australian media organizations.
After the bill’s passage in the Senate, Danielle Coffey, president of the News Media Alliance global industry group, said that the Canadian Parliament “should be applauded for standing up to Big Tech.”
Coffey added, “We are encouraged by the increasing recognition of the need for legal action to ensure just compensation, both in Canada and abroad, and hope to see the United States follow suit.”
The government “will engage in a regulatory and implementation process” after the law is put into effect, according to Pablo Rodriguez, the heritage minister who proposed the bill last year.
“If the government can’t stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?” According to Rodriguez’s statement.
According to a government official, the heritage ministry met with Facebook and Google this week and is eager to continue the conversation.
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