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HIGHLaw Passed2023-06-22 · Canada

Canada's Online News Act (Bill C-18) — Platforms Block News; Meta Withdraws

Canada passed Bill C-18 (Online News Act), requiring digital platforms to pay news publishers for linking to or displaying news content. Meta responded by blocking all Canadian news content from Facebook and Instagram. Google threatened to do the same before reaching a deal. Critics argued the law distorted the news media market by subsidising established legacy outlets, created government-adjacent pressure on which journalism receives financial support, and demonstrated how regulation ostensibly protecting speech can produce mass censorship by causing platforms to withdraw news access entirely.

Tags

canadaonline-news-actbill-c18metanews-blockingplatform-levypress-freedom

Responsible Actors (2)

PR
Pablo Rodriguez
Canadian Government (Liberal)
SG
Steven Guilbeault
Canadian Government (Liberal)

Sources

https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/44-1/bill/C-18/royal-assenthttps://www.cbc.ca/news/business/meta-news-canada-block-1.6898453https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/meta-blocking-news-canada-2023-08-01/https://www.cjfe.org/bill_c_18_a_threat_to_press_freedom
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