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Meta’s decision to block news links in Canada has not affected Facebook usage, according to data from Similarweb and Data.ai. The company faces criticism from the Canadian government over the move, which is a response to a new law that requires platforms to pay publishers for news content. (Google plans to do the same once the law takes effect.)
Meta said that news links have no value for its business and that it prefers to focus on lighter topics. The company has reduced the presence of news and civic content on its platforms in recent years, leading to a drop in news consumption via social media, as reported by the Reuters Institute and Pew Research Center.
The Canadian authorities have accused Meta of being irresponsible and uncooperative, as they work on the specific rules for implementing the law. Canada’s new Heritage Minister has spoken to both Meta and Google, while the Canadian regulator has announced a timeline for setting up a negotiation framework between news organizations and internet giants. It hopes to initiate mandatory bargaining by early 2025.