Australia resolved its news standoff with Meta. Could Canada?

Most people in Canada haven’t been able to view or post news content on Facebook or Instagram for over a month now. That’s because Meta – the company that owns both platforms – is protesting a new law that aims to get big tech companies to pay for news content appearing on its feeds.

But this move isn’t without precedent. In 2021, Meta also blocked news in Australia because of similar legislation. The Australian government came to an agreement with the company – but not without some big concessions.

James Meese is a senior lecturer at Melbourne’s RMIT University who researches media law and policy. He’s on the show to tell us what happened in Australia, how the legislation is working two years later and what Canada can learn from Australia’s experience.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com