Today Google announced plans to block news on their platforms upon the implementation of Bill C-18, the Online News Act. Meta has also announced plans for news blocking, although the company has not announced when this would take place. The bill was first introduced in April 2022, and passed through the House of Commons earlier this month. OpenMedia, academics, and other stakeholders warned that in practice, Bill C-18 would reduce quality news in Canada and lead to news censorship.
Bill C-18 requires Google and Meta to pay media outlets for sharing news content on their platforms. Although initially posited as a solution to the dying news industry, the bill will instead disproportionately support legacy media outlets, and limit the availability of news to Canadians.