Meta to end news access for Canadians if Online News Act becomes law

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Meta Platforms' business group is seen in Brussels, Belgium December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

(Reuters) -Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc said on Saturday that it would end availability of news content for Canadians on its platforms if the country's Online News Act passes in its current form.

The "Online News Act," or House of Commons bill C-18, introduced in April last year laid out rules to force platforms like Meta and Alphabet Inc's Google to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content.