Facebook and Instagram will block access to news on their platforms in Canada after the federal parliament in Ottawa passed a bill that would require major social media companies to pay for press content shared on their platforms, Reuters and the BBC reported.

Both Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, and Google have already begun testing ways to limit access to news for some Canadians.

In 2021, Facebook blocked its users in Australia from accessing any media content after a similar law was passed. Australians then discovered that there was no local or international news in their news feed.

A new law passed by Canada’s parliament on Thursday, called the Online News Act, sets rules that would force platforms like Meta and Google to enter into commercial contracts and pay news organizations for their content.

Meta, the new name Mark Zuckerberg chose in 2021 for the company he founded, criticized the Canadian law, saying it was “fundamentally flawed and ignores the realities of how our platform works.”

Meta says people don’t visit Facebook for news

The Zuckerberg-led company announced that news will no longer be available to Facebook and Instagram users in Canada until the law takes effect.

“A legal framework that forces us to pay for links or content that we don’t share, and that’s not why the vast majority of people use our platforms, is neither sustainable nor workable,” added one Meta operator.

Google, in turn, criticized the new Canadian law, saying it could not be implemented in its current form, but that it would try to work with the Canadian government to find a solution.

Implementation of the law could cost media organizations up to C$329 million (US$250 million) from digital platforms, according to a cost analysis conducted by the Canadian Parliament.

In Australia, Facebook stopped blocking news links after negotiations with the Australian government led to a change in the law.