The Online News Act, passed by the Canadian parliament, requires platforms like Meta and Google to negotiate commercial deals with Canadian news publishers for the use of their content. Both companies have claimed the law is unworkable for their businesses. Despite this, Meta's transparency reports suggest news remains some of the most popular content on Facebook when available. The company ended news sharing in Canada in August, and Google plans to block news from search results once the law is in effect.
Key takeaways:
- Meta's decision to block news links in Canada has had almost no impact on Canadians' usage of Facebook, according to data from independent tracking firms.
- The Online News Act, passed by the Canadian parliament, requires platforms like Meta and Google to negotiate commercial deals with Canadian news publishers for use of their content.
- Meta and Google have both stated that the law is unworkable for their businesses, with Meta stating that news articles make up less than 3% of the content on its Facebook feeds.
- Despite blocking news, Meta's transparency reports suggest that news remains some of the most popular content on Facebook when it is available, particularly in the United States.