A little over a week has passed since Meta announced that in response to federal Canadian legislation Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, it would be ending news availability in Canada on both Facebook and Instagram. Local, regional, and national news outlets have been impacted, including Discover Airdrie.

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Some Airdrie residents took to Facebook to voice their frustration at this fact, noting that they are no longer able to see any posts that are published to Discover Airdrie's Facebook page. In a press release on August 1, Meta explained that 'news links and content posted by news publishers and broadcasters in Canada will no longer be viewable by people in Canada.'

"We are identifying news outlets based on legislative definitions and guidance from the Online News Act."

However, some social media users were surprised that this isn't just affecting Canadian news outlets, citing that they were also not able to see posts from American and International outlets. 

"News publishers and broadcasters outside of Canada will continue to be able to post news links and content, however, that content will not be viewable by people in Canada," the August 1 Meta release explained. "People in Canada will no longer be able to view or share news content on Facebook and Instagram, including news articles and audio-visual content posted by news outlets."

Meta stated they 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 their platforms.

"...Legislation is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms when the reverse is true. In contrast, we know the people using our platforms don’t come to us for news."

Google also issued a statement in late June. Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs, Google & Alphabet wrote that when the law would take effect, Google would have to remove links to Canadian news from the Search, News and Discover products in Canada.

"We already pay to support Canadian journalism through our programs and partnerships - and we’ve been clear we’re prepared to do more. As part of our Google News Showcase program, we have negotiated agreements covering over 150 news publications across Canada. Last year alone, we linked to Canadian news publications more than 3.6 billion times — at no charge — helping publishers make money through ads and new subscriptions," Walker wrote.

Bill C-18, received royal assent on June 22 and was meant to, 'rebalance the power dynamics in the digital news marketplace in order to ensure fair compensation for Canadian media outlets and journalists.'

"It creates a new legislative and regulatory framework to enable digital news intermediaries to negotiate agreements with Canadian media to authorize them to disseminate Canadian media content on their platforms. The bill sets up a process that enables smaller media outlets to bargain collectively," a legislative summary of the bill stated.

Member of Parliament for Airdrie- Banff Blake Richards, however, believes that the passage of this bill is a form of censorship.

"This bill - and you combine it with Bill C-11; are designed to censor what people can see on the internet [and] what people can share on social media. I really think it was a big mistake. It's something we fought really hard against."

When challenged about whether social media platforms such as Meta are the ones responsible for limiting the content viewers can see as a result of the federal government's legislation versus the Canadian government being responsible for censorship on the platforms, Richards was adamant that the blame lies squarely with the government.

"It is the government that's causing the problem. The combination of the two bills actually does give the government direct ability to censor what people can see and the news is not being shared by these companies," Richards said. "This was a big mistake on the government's part."

Richards added that when considered, legislation should be reflected upon and viewed from a holistic angle so there are no unintended and harmful consequences. However, he did underline that questions of who profits from potential data aggregation, as social media sites do and who should and can profit from it are legitimate questions to be had. 

"There needs to be consultation and I don't really feel like that any of that properly happened in this case."

Meta had previously stated that they shared their concerns with Canadian legislators, underlining that Meta does not 'scrape' content or links to news content and that posts with links to news articles make up less than 3 per cent of what people see in their Facebook Feed.

"Canadians tell us they want to see less news and political content. We have repeatedly shared with the government that news content is not a draw for our users and is not a significant source of revenue for our company," Meta previously stated in a release.

Earlier this week, News Media Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and CBC/Radio-Canada applied to Canada’s Competition Bureau to investigate what they say is Meta’s abuse of its dominant position.

“Meta’s conduct will inevitably diminish Canadian news consumers’ exposure to news content and the volume of traffic to Canadian news organizations’ websites, thereby impairing their ability to compete for revenue from online advertising and from their readers," stated the Canadian Association of Broadcasters in a release.

They underlined that Facebook and Instagram account for more than 70 per cent of the online social media market in Canada.

“If Meta is allowed to proceed unchecked, it could inflict significant damage to Canadian news organization’s ability to offer quality news services to Canadians, which is critical to the functioning of a free and democratic society.”

While you may no longer be able to access article links and posts on Facebook - you can still stay up to date with your local news by going directly to discoverairdrie.com and by downloading the free mobile application available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple store as well as tuning into Air 106.1 FM. You can also stream us online. 

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com

Stay up to date with local news, sports and weather by downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app HERE.