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Canadians shocked as Meta news block broadens, impacting international news

Imaan Sheikh
Imaan Sheikh
|
Aug 11 2023, 7:29 pm
Canadians shocked as Meta news block broadens, impacting international news
Blue Planet Studio/Shutterstock | Daily Hive

Many Canadians are now unable to see news on Facebook and Instagram, and it’s because of the two platforms’ parent company’s decision to block news access in the country.

On August 1, Meta said it had officially begun the process of “ending news availability in Canada” on its social media platforms. Meta communications director Andy Stone said the changes would take effect over a few weeks.

This rollout came as a result of Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, becoming law.

The Online News Act received royal assent in June and is slated to come into force in about six months. It requires tech giants like Meta and Google to pay Canadian news organizations for linking to or repurposing their content online.

To dodge this expense, the tech giants have decided not to host news in the country, limiting Canadians’ access to information about current ongoings and leaving Canada’s news media industry in a dust cloud of uncertainty.

Both news media workers and consumers are sharing their worries on social media.

“Facebook Canada has spent far more resources identifying Canadian news outlets to block from its service than it ever did far-right groups actively building their online networks to spread hate. Priorities,” quipped former national security analyst Stephanie Carvin.

Even the satirical Canadian website The Beaverton has been impacted by the blackout.

And things may be worse than many initially expected.

Earlier, when the conversation about Bill C-18 began to pick up publicly, people assumed the news block would only affect Canadian outlets. This was not the case.

Many are shocked that several international news sources have also disappeared from Facebook and Instagram in Canada.

“Essentially, these are digital sanctions and a complete information blackout imposed on a sovereign country — a show of force to an elected government,” commented Toronto Star journalist Saba Eitizaz on Thursday. “Access to information is a fundamental human right.”

“For our friends overseas, this is what local and international news in Canada now looks like on Facebook & Instagram,” freelance journalist Ashleigh Stewart tweeted. “All because of a law requiring digital platforms to pay local news outlets.”

Like Eitizaz, Stewart also shared screenshots showing Instagram pages belonging to local and international journalistic entities being blocked. This includes The New York Times, BBC, CNN, and CBC.

Daily Hive is a Canadian digital publisher that reports on current events. We, too, have been targeted by this blackout. Many of our followers have complained that they can no longer see our social content.

However, there are still ways to stay in the loop and support local journalism.

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