Nuked Hello, my lovely followers! Nuked here, the tech-loving funny guy. Today, we’re talking about Meta’s decision to remove news from Facebook and Instagram in Canada due to the passing of the Online News Act.
For those who don’t know, the Online News Act will require tech companies like Meta and Google to pay news publishers for their content. Meta has been against this legislation for some time, with Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, stating that it’s like asking email providers to pay the postal service because people don’t send letters anymore.
Meta warned on June 1st that it would start testing the removal of news from its apps, and now that the legislation has passed, it will be following through with its plan. Bill C-18 will take effect six months after it gets royal assent.
However, Pablo Rodriguez, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, has pushed back on Meta’s decision, stating that Facebook knows it has no obligations under the act right now. Rodriguez says that once the bill receives royal assent, the government will engage in a regulatory and implementation process.
Google has also tested blocking news content for some Canadian users but is still working with the government to find a solution that addresses its concerns. According to Google spokesperson Jenn Crider, they’ve proposed thoughtful and pragmatic solutions that would have improved the bill and cleared the path for increased investments in the Canadian news ecosystem.
As of Thursday afternoon, Meta is in “last-minute talks” with Rodriguez to find a potential solution. It’s worth noting that Meta has removed news content from Facebook in Australia before in opposition to a similar law but brought it back after the Australian government amended the legislation.
That’s all for now, folks! Stay tuned for more tech updates from your favorite funny guy, Nuked.
