CBC News ·

Meta has begun to block some Canadian users of Facebook and Instagram from accessing or posting news content until the end of the month.

The move, which the social media giant announced in a blog post on Thursday, comes in reaction to the looming passage into law of Bill C-18, the Online News Act.

Facebook has said it will be forced to block news content from its platforms in Canada if the bill becomes law, something that could happen as soon as this month as the bill is currently being considered in the Senate.

Among other stipulations, the bill would require tech giants to pay Canadian media companies for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.

“As we prepare to comply with the legislation, we are announcing today that we will begin tests on both platforms that will limit some users and publishers from viewing or sharing some news content in Canada,” Meta said.

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