Social media users may soon no longer be able to access Canadian news content after Bill C-18, the Online News Act, received royal accent after passing the Senate and House yesterday.
The law will require that Facebook’s owner Meta and Google to pay news outlets for posting their work on online platforms.
Meta is said to begin blocking Canadian news over the next few months.
Next is for the Department of Canadian Heritage to draft the regulations on how to implement it.
The Government has meetings with both social media companies this week.
It is expected that it will take about 6 months before Bill C-18 comes into force.