Online News Act

When journalism jobs are lost, “news deserts” expand. They become prime land to be colonized by misinformation and disinformation campaigns and crusaders.

The Liberal government is hinting that it will take steps to limit how much money Canada's publicly funded broadcaster can collect under Ottawa's new revenue-sharing agreement with Google.

Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge is appearing at a committee hearing this morning, fresh from finally ending Canada's standoff with Google over the Online News Act.

Now, as we work out what’s next and who gets how much from the $100-million pie, Canada must ensure the deals favour all news in the public interest.

A new survey suggests that most Canadians feel news should be free and accessible for anyone, while also believing that media will find other ways to make money.

Federal officials estimate Google would need to offer $172 million and Facebook $62 million in annual compensation to satisfy criteria they're proposing be used to give exemptions under the Online News Act, a bill passed over the summer that will force tech companies to broker deals with media companies whose work they link to or repurpose.

British Columbia's premier issued a direct plea to the head of Meta on Monday as he implored the social media giant to reinstate access to Canadian news on its platforms amid the province's ongoing wildfire crisis.

Residents of the Northwest Territories are feeling the effect of the news vacuum on Facebook as they flee communities that are under threat by wildfires.

A coalition of news organizations formally called on Canada’s Competition Bureau to investigate Meta’s allegedly “anti-competitive conduct” by blocking access to news on its platforms and for its unwillingness to negotiate.

Police services across Canada are grappling with how they will relay emergency information, including breaking news and details of missing persons, once Meta begins permanently removing news from its social media platforms.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Liberal legislation aimed at social media platforms is ushering in censorship, despite his party running on similar policy in the last federal election.

Discovering news articles and videos on Facebook and Instagram will soon become a relic of the past, as the tech giant announced it is officially ending news availability in Canada.

Tech companies are continuing to push back on the Liberal government over its Online News Act, with Google withholding its new artificial-intelligence chatbot from Canada and Meta running ads opposing the law.

Canada's heritage minister is leaving the door open to regulating new social media platform Threads under a bill forcing Google and Meta to pay publishers for content they link to or repurpose.

The controversies surrounding Bill C-18 highlight the tremendous challenges and conflicts associated with crafting policy to deal with the spread of misinformation.