Facebook will block news for some users in Canada

Meta will block news for some users in Canada as it seeks to prevent the country’s government from passing a bill that would force online groups to pay publishers and broadcasters to carry their content.

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram said Friday it would begin testing on both platforms that would limit a “small percentage” of users in Canada from viewing, posting or sharing news.

The move is a show of strength as Ottawa prepares to pass its Online News Act, a bill that would force big tech conglomerates to strike deals with Canadian media publishers and broadcasters either privately or through collective bargaining . The proposed law would force internet platforms such as Facebook and Google to enter mandatory arbitration if no agreement can be reached.

Tensions have already flared between Meta and the Canadian government after Nick Clegg, the company’s president of global affairs in May, if the legislation is passed, which is expected by the end of the month, would completely block news in the sector. threatened to block.

Meta said Friday that the test would allow him to prepare for that event. “The randomized trial will help us build an effective product solution to eliminate news availability in Canada,” Meta wrote, adding that the trial will run over several weeks in the coming days.

“We have made our choice,” it added. “While these product tests are temporary, we intend to permanently eliminate the availability of news content in Canada following the passage of Bill C-18.”

“The fact that Facebook is still refusing to work with Canadians shows how irresponsible and out of touch they are,” Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez wrote on Twitter on Friday. “Once again this is a disappointing move by big tech and Canadians will not be intimidated by these strategies.”

Meta’s decision follows a similar move by Google earlier this year when it turned off news in its search engine for a small portion of Canadian users — less than 4 percent — for a couple of weeks. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labeled the decision a “terrible mistake” by Google.

“They’re playing the game, clearly,” said Paul Deegan, chief executive of trade association News Media Canada, of Google’s strategy.

Meta faced a backlash in early 2021 when it implemented a temporary news blackout in response to a similar bill in Australia, causing controversy as pages from some government health organizations and emergency services were also blocked Were.

Canada’s bill has been handed more power to smaller local news players in particular by lawmakers as a way to level the playing field between big tech giants and the shrinking digital media industry.

Meta claims that its apps drive engagement for news publishers, not the other way around. It argues that in Canada, the Facebook feed sent more than 1.9 billion clicks in the 12 months to April 2022, “free marketing” worth more than $230 million.

In May, Clegg pulled out of a hearing of the Canadian Parliament’s Heritage Committee, stating that it was originally entitled “Companies in the Information Technology Sector Response Bill C-18”, but at the last minute it was changed to “Technology Bill C-18″. Giants”. the current and ongoing use of intimidation and sabotage tactics to avoid regulation in Canada and around the world”.

The company has suggested amendments to the bill, including one that would take the sharing of hyperlinks out of its purview. Hyperlinks account for about 90 percent of news stories posted on Meta, meaning the law’s impact would be seriously undermined if the amendment were to pass.

“For someone with a tough payment, you can get to a point where you’re footing the bill,” Deegan said. “At present it is fair and fair and balanced.”

Jason Kint, chief executive of Digital Content Next, warned that any news blackout could hurt Meta’s advertising business.

“For a company that has for years been presenting itself as caring about information integrity and misinformation and the damage that comes with it, they are literally going to block credible news from the feed and replace it with user generated content. Leaving,” he said.