Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Aug, 2023 12:11 PM
  • News publishers, broadcasters call for investigation into Meta's news blocking

The broadcasters and publishers allege Meta is abusing its dominant position, and they want the Bureau to make it reverse course.   

A group of Canadian news publishers and broadcasters are calling on Canada's Competition Bureau to investigate and prohibit Metafrom blocking news content on its digital platforms.

Social media giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has said it will begin blocking news on its platforms in Canada starting Tuesday after the Canadian government passed a bill forcing Google and Meta to pay publishers for content they link to or repurpose.

News Media Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and CBC said in a joint statement they have filed a request to the Competition Bureau to investigate Meta’s "abuse of its dominant position."

They said the practices of the social media giant are "anticompetitive" as they will prevent Canadian news companies from accessing the advertising market and significantly reduce their visibility to Canadians on social media platforms.

“Meta’s conduct will inevitably diminish Canadian news consumers’ exposure to news content and the volume of traffic to Canadian news organizations’ websites, thereby impairing their ability to compete for revenue from online advertising and from their readers," the three said in a news release.

The news publishers and broadcasters said they are calling on the Competition Bureau to use its prosecutorial tools to prohibit Metafrom blocking Canadians’ access to news content. 

Asked to respond to the application, Meta spokeswoman Lisa Laventure pointed to the company's previous comments on the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, where it has said the law is built on a flawed premise that leads it to block news.

"The only way we can reasonably comply with this legislation is to end news availability for people in Canada," the company said.

Meta had previously been blocking news content for some users in Canada but the move is set to extend to all Canadians on Tuesday. Canadians will no longer be able to view or post news on Facebook or Instagram and news organizations will start to see their stories blocked on those platforms.

The company noted that Canadians can still access news online by going directly to news publishers' websites or using their mobile news apps. 

Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said in a statement that Metadoes not yet have obligations under the Online News Act. The government is still developing regulations for the law that is set to come into effect by the end of the year.

St-Onge said the company has not participated in the regulatory process.

"They would rather block their users from accessing good quality and local news instead of paying their fair share to news organizations," she said.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. launches $10.5m rebate for businesses' vandalism repairs, prevention measures

B.C. launches $10.5m rebate for businesses' vandalism repairs, prevention measures
British Columbia is launching a $10.5-million program to help small businesses recover costs due to crime and vandalism. Economic Development Minister Brenda Bailey says the program will begin in the fall and is open to small businesses that suffered vandalism damage retroactive to Jan. 1 this year. 

B.C. launches $10.5m rebate for businesses' vandalism repairs, prevention measures

Two dead in Calgary house fire

Two dead in Calgary house fire
Two people had escaped the home and a neighbour had pulled a third person from the building and attempted life-saving efforts. Firefighters then found a fourth person in the basement as they battled the flames.  

Two dead in Calgary house fire

Staff at lodge for LNG workers in Kitimat, B.C., win 40% pay bump, averting strike

Staff at lodge for LNG workers in Kitimat, B.C., win 40% pay bump, averting strike
Employees at a lodge housing workers for LNG Canada's under-construction facility in Kitimat, B.C., have won wage increases of up to 40 per cent, averting a strike. The workers' union, Unite Here Local 40, says in a statement the new deal was reached after mediation with the employer at the BC Labour Board.  

Staff at lodge for LNG workers in Kitimat, B.C., win 40% pay bump, averting strike

Cooler weather sees B.C. wildfire numbers dip, but drought still poses concern

Cooler weather sees B.C. wildfire numbers dip, but drought still poses concern
The number of active wildfires in British Columbia has dipped below 450 as cooler weather and recent rain has cut the fire risk, although another hot spell could wipe out those gains as large sections of the province wilt under severe drought.

Cooler weather sees B.C. wildfire numbers dip, but drought still poses concern

Trudeau names new cabinet, shifting focus to economy, housing ahead of next election

Trudeau names new cabinet, shifting focus to economy, housing ahead of next election
Two-thirds of cabinet portfolios have switched hands, with seven rookie ministers coming in to replace the seven ministers who are leaving. Five of the new ministers represent constituencies in Ontario, one is from British Columbia and one from Quebec.  

Trudeau names new cabinet, shifting focus to economy, housing ahead of next election

2 new mass-timber courses to start at BCIT

2 new mass-timber courses to start at BCIT
Two new mass-timber courses are slated to begin in the fall at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. In addition, the province is providing 3.3-million-dollars to the school for the creation of a mass-timber training hub at B-C-I-T's Burnaby campus.

2 new mass-timber courses to start at BCIT