CBC Radio has teamed up with a collection of news publishers and broadcasters urging the Competition Bureau to investigate Facebook and Instagram parent company, Meta, over its decision to block Canadian news sites under C-18..In its submission, the Canadian news organizations termed the social media giant’s actions “anti-competitive.”."Meta's practices are clearly designed to discipline Canadian news companies, prevent them from participating in and accessing the advertising market, and significantly reduce their visibility to Canadians on social media channels," the CBC said in a joint statement with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and News Media Canada, a quasi-cartel that receives rich federal subsidies to stay afloat..The statement further reads: “Meta's anti-competitive conduct, which has attracted the attention of regulators around the world, will strengthen its already dominant position in advertising and social media distribution and harm Canadian journalism.”."The applicants ask the Competition Bureau to use its investigative and prosecutorial tools to protect competition and prohibit Meta from continuing to block Canadians' access to news content.".The Online News Act, which was passed into law earlier this summer, will require social media giants Meta and Google to compensate news publishers for linking to news stories that appear in users‘ timelines..Critics — including The Western Standard — say it amounts to a tax on content that fails to recognize a vital role social media plays in promoting local, independent news..Last week Meta began restricting Canadians’ access to news sites within Canada itself; users in other countries such as the US are still able to click on Canadian content. In a statement, the company said C-18 is “unworkable” and the only way to comply with the law is to “end news availability for people in Canada.”.“We have been transparent and have made it clear to the Canadian government that the legislation misrepresents the value news outlets receive when choosing to use our platforms,” Meta said in a statement issued on Aug. 1..“The legislation is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line. In contrast, we know the people using our platforms don’t come to us for news.” .If readers still want independent news, they can click directly on sites such as www.westernstandard.news..“People in Canada can continue to access news online by going directly to news publishers’ websites, downloading mobile news apps and subscribing to their preferred publishers,” it added..The whirlwind developments come after Postmedia and the Toronto Star in July called off talks that would have created a virtual monopoly over Canadian newspapers — along with $595 million in associated federal subsidies..The CBC already receives $1.5 billion a year from the Liberal government, ostensibly to 'compete' with private sector companies such as Postmedia and Torstar..Other media giants, including Bell Media which owns CTV, took in hundreds of millions of COVID worker benefits, even as they laid off thousands of staff and hiked bonuses and dividends to executives..The effects are already being felt in unexpected, and detrimental, ways apart from merely blocking news..In July, the British Columbia government pulled all its advertising on Meta only to find that public service announcements regarding wildfires were blocked from being posted on Facebook and Instagram. The outrage could be best described as duplicitous..Google has said it would follow suit but thus far has failed to implement its own ban. On Thursday, newly-sworn Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said the government has no intention of backing down..The Western Standard, although eligible, doesn't accept any government handouts.
CBC Radio has teamed up with a collection of news publishers and broadcasters urging the Competition Bureau to investigate Facebook and Instagram parent company, Meta, over its decision to block Canadian news sites under C-18..In its submission, the Canadian news organizations termed the social media giant’s actions “anti-competitive.”."Meta's practices are clearly designed to discipline Canadian news companies, prevent them from participating in and accessing the advertising market, and significantly reduce their visibility to Canadians on social media channels," the CBC said in a joint statement with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and News Media Canada, a quasi-cartel that receives rich federal subsidies to stay afloat..The statement further reads: “Meta's anti-competitive conduct, which has attracted the attention of regulators around the world, will strengthen its already dominant position in advertising and social media distribution and harm Canadian journalism.”."The applicants ask the Competition Bureau to use its investigative and prosecutorial tools to protect competition and prohibit Meta from continuing to block Canadians' access to news content.".The Online News Act, which was passed into law earlier this summer, will require social media giants Meta and Google to compensate news publishers for linking to news stories that appear in users‘ timelines..Critics — including The Western Standard — say it amounts to a tax on content that fails to recognize a vital role social media plays in promoting local, independent news..Last week Meta began restricting Canadians’ access to news sites within Canada itself; users in other countries such as the US are still able to click on Canadian content. In a statement, the company said C-18 is “unworkable” and the only way to comply with the law is to “end news availability for people in Canada.”.“We have been transparent and have made it clear to the Canadian government that the legislation misrepresents the value news outlets receive when choosing to use our platforms,” Meta said in a statement issued on Aug. 1..“The legislation is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line. In contrast, we know the people using our platforms don’t come to us for news.” .If readers still want independent news, they can click directly on sites such as www.westernstandard.news..“People in Canada can continue to access news online by going directly to news publishers’ websites, downloading mobile news apps and subscribing to their preferred publishers,” it added..The whirlwind developments come after Postmedia and the Toronto Star in July called off talks that would have created a virtual monopoly over Canadian newspapers — along with $595 million in associated federal subsidies..The CBC already receives $1.5 billion a year from the Liberal government, ostensibly to 'compete' with private sector companies such as Postmedia and Torstar..Other media giants, including Bell Media which owns CTV, took in hundreds of millions of COVID worker benefits, even as they laid off thousands of staff and hiked bonuses and dividends to executives..The effects are already being felt in unexpected, and detrimental, ways apart from merely blocking news..In July, the British Columbia government pulled all its advertising on Meta only to find that public service announcements regarding wildfires were blocked from being posted on Facebook and Instagram. The outrage could be best described as duplicitous..Google has said it would follow suit but thus far has failed to implement its own ban. On Thursday, newly-sworn Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said the government has no intention of backing down..The Western Standard, although eligible, doesn't accept any government handouts.
