Meta, a search engine created by the company Alphabet, has been blocking news stories from Canadian publishers on its site. This is the latest in a series of standoffs between Meta and publishers, who have accused the company of scraping their content without permission. In response, Meta has said that it is only using the content that is publicly available, and that it is not stealing anything.
The standoffs between Meta and publishers highlight the tension between search engines and the content creators they rely on. On one hand, publishers want to be found by search engines so that their content can be seen by as many people as possible. On the other hand, they don’t want their content to be used without permission, or for their work to be devalued.
It’s not clear what the resolution to this standoff will be, but it’s clear that the tension between search engines and publishers is not going away anytime soon.
1. Meta, a search engine created by a Canadian startup, has been blocking news results in Canada since July 8th.
Meta, a search engine created by a Canadian startup, has been blocking news results in Canada since July 8th. The move has been praised by some as a way to give users more control over the content they see, but met with criticism from others who say it will hurt small publishers who rely on search traffic.
Meta’s CEO, Rohit Kumar, said in a blog post that the company made the decision to block news results in Canada after “extensive consultation” with users, publishers, and government officials. He said that users had told Meta that they wanted more control over the content they saw, and that the company decided to block news results in order to give users that control.
Kumar said that Meta will continue to work with publishers and government officials to find a way to “restore access to news for Canadian users.” In the meantime, he said, users can still access news by searching for specific news outlets or using Meta’s “Web” search option.
The decision to block news results in Canada comes amid a tense standoff between Meta and several big publishers, including The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and The National Post. The publishers have accused Meta of “stealing” their content and giving preferential treatment to its own products.
In response, Kumar said that Meta does not “steal” content, and that the company only shows news results from sources that have opted-in to being included in Meta’s search results. He said that the company is working on a way to “better surface” news results from smaller publishers, and that it is also working on a way to let users block specific news sources from their search results.
The standoff between Meta and the publishers began in May, when The Globe and Mail accused Meta of “violating” its copyright by scraping content from its website and displaying it in search results. The Toronto Star and The National Post soon followed suit, and the three publishers jointly sent a letter to Meta demanding that the company stop scraping their content.
Meta responded by saying that it would stop scraping the content of the three publishers, but that it would continue to show news results from other sources. The publishers then rejected Meta’s offer, and the standoff has been ongoing since then.
The decision to block news results in Canada is the latest development in the ongoing standoff between Meta and the publishers. It remains to be seen how the standoff will end, but one thing is clear: the publishers and Meta are not going to back down anytime soon.
2. The move comes after the Canadian government made changes to its copyright laws, which Meta says will make it liable for the content of news publishers.
In a move that is sure to stoke the fires of the ongoing debate over internet regulation, Meta has announced that it will be blocking news content from Canadian publishers on its site. The move comes after the Canadian government made changes to its copyright laws, which Meta says will make it liable for the content of news publishers.
This latest standoff between Meta and the Canadian government highlights the tension that exists between the need to protect copyright holders and the rights of internet users. On the one hand, copyright holders need to be able to control how their content is used and ensure that they are compensated for its use. On the other hand, internet users need to be able to access the information and ideas that they want without interference.
The Canadian government’s changes to copyright law are designed to strike a balance between these two competing interests. However, Meta clearly feels that the balance has been tipped too far in favour of copyright holders, and has decided to take action accordingly.
It is not yet clear how long Meta’s block on Canadian news publishers will last, or what the consequences will be. However, it is sure to add fuel to the already heated debate over internet regulation.
3. Meta has been in a similar standoff with the French government over its copyright laws.
In 2018, Meta was involved in a standoff with the French government over its copyright laws. The French government proposed a law that would have required internet platforms to pay for the news content that they display. Meta, along with other internet companies, objected to the law, saying that it would stifle innovation and free speech. After negotiations, the French government agreed to exempt Meta from the law.
It is clear that Meta is not backing down from its decision to block the news in Canada, and it is unlikely that the company will change its stance in the near future. This standoff with publishers is likely to continue, as both sides appear to be unwilling to compromise.
