Canada media seek probe of Meta’s news block

OTTAWA: Media on Tuesday asked Canada´s competition watchdog to investigate Meta´s blocking of news articles on Facebook and Instagram, accusing the tech giant of using its dominance to gobble up online advertising money.

Meta began blocking news last week in response to a recent law requiring digital giants to pay publishers for news content. Google, another critic of the Online News Act, has said it is considering a similar move, among an ongoing global debate as more governments try to make tech firms pay for such content.

In a statement, industry associations News Media Canada and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, as well as public broadcaster CBC and its French language counterpart Radio-Canada, accused Meta of “anticompetitive conduct” and “abuse of its dominant position” in the online advertising market.

Meta´s blocking of news on its platforms in Canada, they said, effectively prevents Canadian media from gaining a fair slice of the advertising pie and significantly reduces their visibility on social media channels.

“Meta´s anticompetitive conduct, which has attracted the attention of regulators around the world, will strengthen its already dominant position in advertising and social media distribution and harm Canadian journalism,” the associations said.