Meta Is Testing Canadian News Blocking

Following through on threats to block news in Canada if Bill C-18 passes, Meta is randomly testing measures on a smaller percentage of users.

Bill C-18 would force Meta and other online platforms to pay media outlets for the news they use and link to. Meta has fought similar measures in other countries and threatened to block all news in Canada if the bill passes.

According to CTV News, Meta is testing news blocks on roughly 5% of its 24 million Canadian users. The company is testing blocking across both Facebook and Instagram.

Meta is randomly choosing various media outlets and notifying them that their news is temporarily blocked. The company is obviously playing a high-stakes game, trying to give media outlets and users a taste of what’s in store if C-18 passes.

Only time will tell if Meta’s tactics will work, but there’s a good chance they will only solidify Canadian lawmakers’ efforts.