Some Canadian news outlets already seeing content blocked on Instagram

CBC News and B.C.-based online news magazine The Tyee are among the Canadian publishers who report seeing their content blocked on Meta platforms after the Online News Act became law in June.

The bans demonstrate that the tech behemoth is following through on its threat to remove Canadian news content from its platforms for users in Canada as a way to retaliate against the new legislation.

Last week, the CBC published a screenshot that showed the CBC News account blocked from a follower’s view. On Instagram, the news outlet has more than 660,000 followers.

“People in Canada can’t see this content,” the CBC’s post reads. “In response to Canadian government legislation, news content can’t be viewed in Canada.”

Editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon wrote about the incident, noting “this Instagram lockout of CBC News content on Monday wasn’t universal, but we did hear from other people who had the same experience as I did and were wondering what was happening.”

On Tuesday, The Tyee was blocked from posting news on Instagram and Threads (Meta’s new Twitter-like app), editor-in-chief David Beers wrote in an article. Their Instagram account has just over 13,000 followers.

The ban hasn’t lifted, social media manager Sarah Krichel told the Star. Although the profile is visible, Krichel said she hasn’t been able to make any new posts to Instagram via the app since Tuesday. However, she added that she hasn’t tried to post again on Threads.

“I think I was seeing the block happen live,” she said, describing the change on Tuesday. “I could see things at one point, and then half of our posts disappeared, and then the rest of them disappeared, and then that memo came up.

“It’s obviously extremely frustrating,” she added. “It’s changing my job quite a bit and it’s changing the way we … reach new readers.”

Meanwhile, the Toronto Star’s official Facebook account experienced a nearly 50 per cent drop in impressions last month — something editor Anne Marie Owens said suggests followers are already being restricted from seeing Star posts.

Online News Act aims to boost Canadian journalism industry

The Online News Act, which passed last month, would force web giants to reach deals with Canadian news outlets in order to share, post and preview their content on their platforms. (Torstar, parent company of the Toronto Star and Metroland, is among the publishers that lobbied the federal government for the legislation). It won’t take effect until later this year.

The Liberal government framed the law as an effort to help an embattled journalism industry, which it said has been hurt by tech titans dominating the digital advertising market.

Tech giants threaten to block Canadian news publishers

Meta and Google for months have expressed their disdain for the online news law and have pledged to block Canadian news content in retaliation. They’ve argued that their platforms generate significant traffic and revenue for publishers, and they shouldn’t be punished.

Before Bill C-18 became law, Google in February launched a test that filtered Canadian and international news content for some Canadian users. In June, Meta rolled out its own experiment, blocking the sharing and posting of news for some Canadian users in preparation for the passage of the Online News Act.

If their record is any indication, neither is bluffing. Google in 2014 pulled its News service from Spain and only reinstated it in 2022 in response to the country seeking a monthly licensing fee for publishers whose content was linked and previewed on its platform. Meta in 2021 banned news for a week in Australia, reacting to the country’s News Media Bargaining Code, the law that Bill C-18 was partially based on.

The threat is expected to hit Canadian media in six months, when the regulatory process for the law ends. It could cost publishers millions of dollars in lost revenue and the closure of smaller digital outlets.

How publishers are coping with the social media bans

In his article, the CBC News editor highlighted that readers can find their content on their websites, apps, and newsletters, among other platforms.

At the Tyee, editor Beers urged readers to sign up for their free newsletter, noting the online magazine will “survive” since they already have 75,000 sign-ups.

He echoed publisher Jeanette Ageson, however, in noting that Meta and Google blocking Canadian news could be “existential” for independent online publications relying on web platforms to reach audiences.

A number of Canadian publications and companies, including Torstar and even the federal government, have announced decisions to temporarily suspend advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

At the Star, Owens says readers can download the Toronto Star app for free, sign up for the Star’s free newsletters, opt in for breaking news push alerts and bookmark thestar.com.

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