Though Meta's block of news availability on the social media giant's platforms is already taking its toll on web traffic to news sites, local media outlets aren't united on a path forward.
Just over two weeks ago, Meta — which owns Facebook and Instagram — began ending the availability of news on those sites in Canada in response to the passage of Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which takes effect by the end of this year.
The government says C-18 is about ensuring tech companies pay their "fair share" to media organizations. Meta has countered that the only reasonable way to comply with the bill is to end news access in Canada.
The standoff between the federal government and Meta has dragged on for much longer than the temporary block that the company put in place in Australia in 2021, after that country passed a similar law.
That's no coincidence, said Sue Gardner, a digital policy analyst.
"Since then, they've had a couple years to think about it," Gardner, who used to run CBC's digital site and the organization that operates Wikipedia, said on The House. "They've had a couple of years to sort of look at their operations and see what kind of role news plays in it.
"And they've had a couple of years to imagine what happens if this kind of law comes into effect all around the world. It's one thing to pay out a couple $100 million in Australia. It would be something very different to pay out many, many multiples of that in countries around the world."
Gardner dubbed C-18 an "epic miscalculation" by the government, saying she was concerned the bill is "not going to help the country. It's actually going to make things worse for the news industry and for news audiences."
The government has positioned itself as a global leader on the issue, saying in a statement, "The world is watching Canada."
But Gardner warned that Canada might find itself as a cautionary tale, rather than a trailblazer.
This sounds and feels so familiar, like our Carbon Tax flagellation…
"Other countries are watching what is happening in Canada, but rather than considering Canada to be a role model that they might follow, I think it's encouraging them ... to step back and maybe take a different approach."
Just over two weeks ago, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, began ending the availability of news on those sites in Canada in response to the Online News Act. The social media giant's move is already taking its toll on web traffic to news sites, and local media outlets aren't united on a...
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The Canadian government on Friday demanded that Meta lift a "reckless" ban on domestic news from its platforms to allow people to share information about wildfires in the west of the country.
Meta started blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada this month in response to a new law requiring internet giants to pay for news articles.
The Canadian government on Friday demanded that Meta lift a 'reckless' ban on domestic news from its platforms to allow people to share information about wildfires in the west of the country.
www.ctvnews.ca
Meta blocked Canadian news on its social media sites earlier this month in response to federal legislation –
Bill C-18– which requires ‘some’ (meaning two) tech giants to pay for news content shared or repurposed on their platforms. Meta is Facebook’s parent company and formerly bore the same name as the social media platform.
Bill C-18 is not yet in effect, though it was passed in the House of Commons, St-Onge said. That means Meta is not yet on the hook to pay for any Canadian news posted to its sites. The company, alongside other tech giants, media companies and members of the public, will be invited to weigh in on any regulations resulting from the bill.
Minister Pascale St-Onge redoubled her calls for Meta to end its ban on Canadian news content on Facebook and Instagram on Saturday as thousands flee wildfires
www.theglobeandmail.com
Quite often, solving one problem creates another.
It’s the law of unintended consequences.
One unintended consequence of Bill C-18 may be that financially struggling news outlets — large and small — will lose all of the traffic that comes from facebook and google, reducing the value of their online advertising. That defeats the stated purpose of the law, which is to help news outlets make money.
Another is that if all the real journalism is deleted from those platforms, what’s left? The last thing any of us should want is to make even more room for nonsense and lies… even if it’s free.
In its present form, Bill C-18 doesn’t seem to be the right solution to the problems facing the news business.
Steve Murphy on the unintended consequences of Bill C-18, the federal online news act.
atlantic.ctvnews.ca