October 24, 2023
Big Tech’s news throttle looks headed to a December end game when the Online News Act, Bill C-18, comes into force. Facebook has already choked off Canadian news and now Google has reissued its list of demands.
Facebook’s blocking of Canadian news harms both news outlets and readers alike, although it should be seen in the global perspective: Axios reports that post-2020 Facebook and Twitter referrals of reader traffic to top global news sites are sinking like a stone.
Most people following Meta are convinced that Canadian news on Facebook isn’t coming back. We are therefore left with the blame game of whether CEO Mark Zuckerberg or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ought to be held responsible.
What’s less debatable is the fact that Facebook will no longer balance its distribution of misinformation in Canada with reliable news and therefore will devolve into a platform – if you will excuse the hackneyed phrase – for fake news.
As for Google’s threats of a news throttle, it may come down to the wire: one gets the feeling from recent developments that December will see some deadline bargaining between the Canadian heritage minister, who is responsible for the Act, and the Google C-Suite.
At the moment, neither party is flinching. …
MediaPolicy.ca 
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