Meta will block access to Facebook and Instagram news in Canada, after passing the Online News Act

June 23 (Portaltic/EP) –

Goal has announced that will block access to news published on Facebook and Instagram for all users using these platforms in canadaas a result of the approval of the Online News Law by the Parliament of that country.

The Online News Act or Bill C-18 is a rule that Canada raised earlier this year and that claims that technological platforms such as Meta HE partner with the media to share revenue. This is because a large part of the income generated by the news of these media outlets is kept by these platforms.

Within this framework, the company led by Mark Zukerberg already announced at the beginning of this month that they were running tests to “create an effective solution to end the availability of news as a result of C-18.” These tests are currently ongoing and affect “a small percentage” of users in Canada.

Now him Canadian Parliament has approved the entry into force of the Law de Noticias en Línea and from Meta have confirmed that access to news on its main platforms will no longer be available for all users in Canada “before it takes effect”.

As he has emphasized in a statement on his blogfor comply with bill C-18, he media contentn “including news publishers and broadcasters”, will no longer be available for people accessing their platforms in Canada.

However, Meta has also pointed out that the changes focused on news content will not affect the rest of the company’s products and services in Canada. Thus, they have reiterated and assured Canadian users who use their platforms “they will always be able to connect with friends and family, grow their businesses and support their local communities.”

Likewise, the company has recalled that will continue to “fight misinformation” with respect to content that remains available in Canada. In this sense, it has valued having built “the world’s largest fact-checking network,” by partnering with more than 90 independent fact-checking organizations, which review and score misinformation in more than 60 languages.