Meta

Publisher
Stakeholder
Holding company

Name

Meta

Description

Meta Platforms, Inc., doing business as Meta, and formerly named Facebook, Inc., and TheFacebook, Inc., is an American multinational technology conglomerate based in Menlo Park, California. The company owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, among other products and services

Types

Holding company

Avatar

CEO

Mark Zuckerberg

Cover

Location

Menlo Park, CA

Owners

Mark Zuckerberg

Positions

Meta has pushed against the law for several months, claiming that posts with links to news articles make up less than 3% of what users see on their Facebook feeds and that the clicks it provides to news publishers were worth an estimated $173 million in free marketing.

The legislation is based on the incorrect premise that Meta benefits unfairly from news content shared on our platforms, when the reverse is true. News outlets voluntarily share content on Facebook and Instagram to expand their audiences and help their bottom line.

Meta made its announcement on Thursday (06/22/2023), the same day the bill received royal assent. The law will force tech giants like Meta and Google to pay news outlets for posting their journalism on their platforms.

Meta says it has activated a function called Safety Check that allows users to click a button to update their status and let their friends and family know they're safe from the wildfires.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said that the law is "based on a fundamentally flawed premise" and that the company's only means of complying with it is to end news availability in Canada.

Changes to News Availability on Our Platforms (Meta) in Canada

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has said that it will not comply with the law and will instead block news content from its platforms in Canada.

Meta has defended its decision to block news content in Canada, saying that Canadians can still read the news by visiting news outlets' websites.

Meta spokesperson, David Troya-Alvarez said "People in Canada are able to use Facebook and Instagram to connect to their communities and access reputable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations"

Topics

Mass media industry

Website

https://www.meta.com/

X platform

https://twitter.com/Meta

Referenced by

Facebook and Instagram's news blackout in Canada

News

Changes to News Availability on Our Platforms (Meta) in Canada

News