Meta Platforms said Thursday it could end access to news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada after parliament approved a bill designed to force web giants to pay publishers for news.
The bill, known as the Online News Act, was passed by the upper house of the Senate earlier on Thursday and is predicted to be formally adopted soon.
“Today we confirm that the supply of Facebook and Instagram messaging shall be terminated for all users in Canada prior to the entry into force of the Online Messaging Act,” Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta statement said.
The bill lays down rules for forcing platforms like Facebook and Google Alphabet to negotiate business deals and pay news publishers for his or her content, a step similar to a landmark law passed in Australia in 2021.
US tech firms said the proposals were unsustainable for his or her firms. Google said Canadian law is stricter than those enacted in Australia and Europe, and proposed amendments to address the problems.
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The federal government of Canada has up to now rejected suggestions for change. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Meta and Google were using “scare tactics” as they campaigned against the bill.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez, who introduced the bill last 12 months, said on Thursday that the federal government would “engage in the regulatory and implementation process” once the bill comes into force.
“If the federal government cannot arise for Canadians against tech giants, who will?” Rodriguez said in a press release.
Google spokesman Shay Purdy said the search engine giant had “proposed thoughtful and pragmatic solutions” however the bill remained “unenforceable”.
![Prime Minister Justin Trudeau](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000013008806.jpg?w=1024)
“We proceed to work diligently with the federal government on the trail forward,” Purdy said.
The heritage ministry met with Facebook and Google this week and looked forward to further discussions, a government spokesman said.
The laws was proposed after complaints from the Canadian media industry, which wants tighter regulation of tech firms to prevent them from pushing news firms out of the internet marketing market.
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“The Canadian parliament needs to be commended for standing up to Big Tech by requiring them to reward news publishers for using their articles,” said Danielle Coffey, president of the worldwide industry group News Media Alliance, in response to the Senate’s approval of the bill.
“We’re encouraged by the growing recognition of the necessity for legal motion to ensure fair compensation, each in Canada and abroad, and we hope the USA will follow suit,” Coffey said.