A group of Canadian news publishers and broadcasters has called on the country’s competition regulator to stop Meta from blocking access to news as the federal government and technology companies clash over revenue and content sharing.
News Media Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and CBC/Radio‐Canada warned on Tuesday that Meta’s decision to bar Canadians from viewing news on Facebook and Instagram amounted to “anticompetitive conduct” and violates a provision of a federal law.
Earlier in the year, Canada’s federal government passed bill C-18, the Online News Act. The governing Liberals have said the legislation is meant to help boost revenues at Canadian journalism outlets by requiring Meta and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, to compensate publishers for hosting and linking to their content.
But the companies have balked at the costs associated with the new rules. Social media giant Meta has taken the strongest stance against the law, calling C-18 “unworkable” and warning it would block access to news on Facebook and Instagram for Canadian users. In recent weeks, it made good on its threat, applying a full block on 8 August.
Earlier this year Google warned it would remove links from search results but has not yet done so.
The decision by Meta applies to Canadian content as well as news from outlets including the Guardian, the Washington Post and the New York Times.
“The Online News Act is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line,” Meta said in a statement.
Media experts have warned that by blocking reputable news organizations, Meta will open space for fake news and disinformation.
“Canada is not the first country where web giants like Meta have attempted to leverage their dominant positions through the blocking strategy Meta is employing in Canada. This type of blocking strategy or other means to unilaterally dictate the rules of the game are widespread and can be seen on a global scale,” the group of publishers said in a statement. “If Meta is allowed to proceed unchecked, it could inflict significant damage to Canadian news organizations’ ability to offer quality news services to Canadians, which is critical to the functioning of a free and democratic society.”
The group argues that by abusing its “dominant market position”, Meta has violated section 79 of Canada’s Competition Act and wants the regulator to weigh in.
Last month, Ottawa suggested it might soften its stance on the law, proposing new regulations to address concerns raised by the companies. Then heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez, who has since been shuffled out of that role, suggested the government might limit how much Alphabet and Meta would have to contribute to the country’s news industry.
