'Deeply irresponsible': Canadian PM Justin Trudeau slams Facebook's flawed argument against paying for news

The parent company of Facebook, Meta Platforms, has come under criticism from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for opposing proposed legislation that would mandate internet companies to compensate for journalistic content. Speaking to a parliamentary committee on Monday, Meta's head of public policy in Canada, Rachel Curran, argued that news has social value, but not economic value to the company. Trudeau, however, described this argument as "not just flawed, but dangerous to our democracy, to our economy."

Trudeau's government introduced Bill C-18, or the "Online News Act," which proposes rules to compel Facebook, Google, and other internet platforms to pay news publishers for their content. Similar to the landmark legislation passed in Australia last year, the proposed bill in Canada has faced opposition from Facebook and Google, with both companies threatening to block access to news articles on their platforms if the bill is passed without any changes. They claim that paying for links to news articles posted on their websites would be unsustainable for their businesses.

Trudeau criticised Facebook's stance, stating that it showed how "deeply irresponsible and out of touch they are." He also rejected the idea that news has no economic value, arguing that news organisations generate revenue through advertisements and subscriptions. According to Trudeau, Facebook's refusal to pay for news content was a threat to democracy and the economy.

Facebook argues that links to news articles make up less than 3 per cent of the content on its users' feeds and that journalists benefit from posting their work on the social media platform. Trudeau pointed out that when someone reports on critical issues like the atrocities in Ukraine, their primary motive is not to gain likes on their Facebook page.

The debate over paying for news content is a global issue, with countries such as Australia, France, and Spain passing laws to force tech companies to pay for news content. Critics argue that these laws would harm the free flow of information on the internet and could lead to censorship. However, proponents argue that these laws are necessary to support struggling news organizations and ensure that journalists are paid for their work.

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