Canadian news outlets urge for probe into Meta’s news blocking

CHCH TV is backing a joint call from News Media Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and CBC/Radio-Canada for Canada’s Competition Bureau to investigate Meta’s decision to block news content.

News publishers and broadcasters across the country have submitted an application to the Competition Bureau to investigate the company’s “abuse of its dominant position”.

In a statement released Thursday, the group says that the decision to block news content from its platforms was “clearly designed to discipline” Canadian news providers.

Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram make up more than 70 percent of Canada’s online social media market, giving the company significant control over the Canadian news market.

READ MORE: Meta to remove all news for Canadian users off its platforms ‘within weeks’

The decision to block Canadian news by Meta was made in response to the federal government passing Bill C-18 that would require Google and Meta to pay publishers for any content that they link to or repurpose.

The group calls the practices of Meta “anticompetitive”, saying they will prevent Canadian news companies from tapping into the broader advertising market and significantly impact their ability to reach Canadians on social media platforms.

The call comes as Meta is set to extend its test of blocking news content to all Canadians as of Tuesday, meaning that Canadians will no longer be able to access or post news content on platforms run by Meta.

Despite the move to block all news beginning Tuesday, CHCH TV remains committed to providing news for all on Morning Live, the Evening News at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., Trending Now, www.chch.com, YouTube, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).

READ MORE: No matter what Big Tech does, you can always count on CHCH News