As Meta Moves to End “News Availability in Canada,” Here’s Where You Can Follow Zoomer

In June, the government passed legislation that proposed huge changes to the way Google, Facebook and Instagram operate in Canada.

Bill C-18, the Online News Act, was intended to protect news companies (like ZoomerMedia) by mandating “fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news outlets.”

Under the new law, big tech companies like Google and Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram) would be forced to “provide fair compensation” to Canadian media companies when they use links or material appearing in their search engines or social media forums.

“Google and Facebook earn 80 per cent of all digital advertising revenue in Canada,” said Canada’s new Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge. “Meanwhile, hundreds of newsrooms have closed.”

When the legislation was announced, the big tech companies fought against the government’s attempt at regulation, warning that they planned to protest and would not stop at using Canadian media companies as bargaining chips. 

Google, which in 2022 topped US$280 billion in revenue (comprised largely of advertising sold on its search engines), announced last month that when the law comes into effect in December, “we will be removing links to Canadian news from our Search, News, and Discover products and will no longer be able to operate Google News Showcase in Canada.” If they follow through with their threat, it means you won’t be able to find any Canadian news content, articles, stories, videos, images or blogs in Google searches.

And on Tuesday, Meta upped the ante. The parent company of social media giants Facebook and Instagram (which reported over US$100 billion in revenue last year), says that it will retaliate against Bill C-18 by “ending news availability in Canada.” This means that thousands of Canadian news sites — including  Everythingzoomer — will disappear from your Instagram and Facebook feeds.  It’s already started happening, as you can see with this message that popped up on our Instagram site on Monday.

 

 

The ban has yet to hit our Facebook page, but Meta said Tuesday that the platform would remove news for all Canadian users within weeks.

 

Where You Can Follow Us

 

While this is a rapidly developing story, the social media giant is effectively banning us from posting on Instagram or Facebook. Until the situation is resolved, you can continue to receive our content by signing up for our newsletters at www.everythingzoomer.com/sign-up.

You can also bookmark everythingzoomer.com and follow us on Twitter @Zoomer and Pinterest @zoomermag.

RELATED: 

As Trudeau Shakes Up Cabinet, O’Regan Takes on the Newly Combined Labour and Seniors Role

Twitter Threatens to Sue Meta Over Threads Platform