Canadian Facebook is... a little different
Facebook shuts you down if you try to share news articles
My wife and I are on the Canadian leg of our trip, and I’ve found that Facebook blocks me from sharing news stories. That’s not the Canadian government. That’s Facebook.
Here’s what’s going on. Canada passed a law called Bill C-18. It says big tech platforms must pay Canadian news outlets when they publish or link to their work. The idea was to support Canadian journalism after much of its ad money shifted to the tech giants.
Meta didn’t like that. In August 2023, it shut down all news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada—before the law even took effect. Meta said the law was flawed. They argued that news outlets post stories on Facebook by choice because they want more readers.
The result is simple: in Canada, you can’t see or share news on Facebook or Instagram. Doesn’t matter if it’s Canadian or international. And if a Canadian shares a link, no other Canadian can see it.
It’s late 2025, and nothing has changed.
Talks between the government and Meta went nowhere. Small and local outlets are the ones hurting most, because they lost readers on Facebook.
Google took a different approach. In late 2023, it struck a deal. It agreed to pay Canadian news outlets $100 million a year. News links are still available on Google in Canada.
I can still share links on Threads and other platforms. But on Facebook? Blocked. And the warning message makes it sound like it’s Canada’s fault. It isn’t. As a friend of mine likes to say: “Dick move, Zuckerberg.”