Facebook And Instagram Will No Longer Show News Content In Canada

Meta drags all news content in Canada on its platform (photo: Meta)

JAKARTA - On Thursday, June 22, Meta Platform Inc. officially confirmed that the availability of news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada will be terminated before the Online News Act (Bill C-18) takes effect.

"In the early hours of this month, we announced that we were testing products to help us build effective product solutions to end the availability of news due to C-18. This testing is ongoing and currently affects a small number of users in Canada," Meta wrote, citing from its official website.

Once again, Meta insists that the company will comply with the Bill C-18, passed by the Canadian Parliament, where content from news outlets, including publishers and news broadcasters, will no longer be available to people who access its platform.

However, Meta added that any changes affecting this news content would certainly not affect Meta products and services in Canada.

"We want to convince millions of Canadians on our platform that they will always be able to connect with friends and family, develop businesses, and support their local communities," he added.

Launching Engadget, the Online News Act is designed to address a sharp decline in ad revenue experienced by Canadian news organizations over the past two decades.

Meta also said it would continue to combat misinformation and had built the largest global fact-checking network on any platform in partnership with more than 90 independent fact-checking organizations around the world reviewing and assessing viral misinformation in more than 60 languages.

"The fact-checking will continue in connection with content that remains available in Canada," he concluded.