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In response to a new Canadian law known as the Online News Act (Bill C-18), which mandates digital platforms to compensate local news outlets, Meta has officially begun its process to discontinue news services on its Facebook and Instagram within Canada.

Facebook Responds

The new policy from Meta implies that Canadians will no longer be able to view or share news content on Facebook and Instagram. Furthermore, content from both Canadian and international news outlets posted on these platforms will not be accessible to the Canadian audience.

“In order to comply with the Online News Act, we have begun the process of ending news availability in Canada. These changes start today, and will be implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada over the course of the next few weeks.” – Meta

This move by Meta has drawn a backlash from the Canadian government, as well as several major businesses, such as media corporation Quebecor Inc. In response, each has decided to halt all advertising on Meta’s platforms. This response is expected to escalate with more governments and corporations likely to follow suit, according to News Media Canada’s CEO.

Meanwhile, Meta stands firm that,

“The legislation is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line.”

However, Meta has made it clear that this change does not affect their services for users outside of Canada. Additionally, the company noted that Canadians can still access news directly from news outlets’ websites, their mobile applications, and through subscriptions.

Government Overreach

It should be noted that while Meta and similar tech companies are now blocking news content for Canadian users, this is not required by law.  What is required is that content producers are compensated for articles hosted on such platforms.  Meta is simply choosing to block such content, rather than paying to host it.

This has resulted in Bill C-18 becoming quite controversial.  While the Canadian government states that Bill C-18 was enacted to protect the Canadian news industry, many feel as though it is yet another unnecessary overreach that will now keep its citizens in the dark.

Unfortunately, such government controls are becoming increasingly commonplace in Canada.  The most notable example of the Canadian government enforcing restrictions upon its citizens came in 2022 when the bank accounts of thousands of individuals on strike were frozen.  The strike itself was taking place as many pushed back against government-mandated vaccines.

With this being the case, under the leadership of Justin Trudeau, Canadians have experienced,  first-hand, the loss of various freedoms to some degree.  They include restrictions on,

• financial freedoms
• health care freedoms
• informational freedoms

Why Is Censorship Dangerous?

Inadvertent or otherwise, information censorship poses a significant risk to freedom of speech and expression, stifling the exchange of ideas and knowledge dissemination, key tenets of democratic societies, and intellectual growth.

The danger lies in how censorship can be exploited by those in power to control the public narrative and manipulate public opinion to perpetuate their own interests. By regulating information, authorities can sway perceptions and suppress dissent.

Censorship also creates an ill-informed public, by restricting access to diverse perspectives. This undermines democratic processes, as informed decision-making depends on access to accurate and diverse information.

Moreover, censorship can inhibit innovation and creativity by controlling what can be expressed or shared. This can suppress the emergence of new ideas, hindering societal, technological, and cultural progress.

Lastly, it can foster a climate of fear and self-censorship, inhibiting open expression and curtailing societal progress. Overall, information censorship undermines democratic principles, hampers informed decision-making, inhibits innovation and cultivates fear and repression. Safeguarding the free flow of information and freedom of speech is vital for upholding democracy and societal advancement.

Complete Control

There is a reason that Bill C-18 is so decisive.  While concerns over informational censorship are valid, one must remember that the reason the Bill was enacted in the first place was to try and keep companies like Meta in check.  This means preventing industry giants from profiting even more off of the work of others than they already do.

If a small Canadian outlet takes the time to research, produce, and disseminate news and is not compensated due to Meta users simply gathering the content on Facebook, how will such outlets stay alive.  To this end, reports have shown that a mere 15% of Canadians pay for news subscriptions, and often resort to gathering information on Facebook instead.

While only time will tell if Bill C-18 is a success in ensuring due compensation for the Canadian news industry, the nation’s Parliamentary Budget Officer anticipated a return of nearly $330M CAD that would normally be lost to giants like Meta and Google.