MONTREAL — Meta will perform what it calls “randomized product tests” that will temporarily block some Canadians from accessing news on Facebook and Instagram, the technology giant announced Thursday. The tests are in response to the Online News Act, the federal legislation that would compel Big Tech companies to pay publishers for linking to their news content on their platforms. 

Meta president Nick Clegg called the legislation (which is being studied in the Senate) “fundamentally flawed” and said the company would “end the availability of news content in Canada” should it pass into law. The tests are to begin “in the next few days,” and run the entirety of June, Meta Canada spokesperson Lisa Laventure told The Logic. Here’s what you need to know:

The details: During the test period, Meta’s product team will randomly select between one and five per cent of Canadian users. Those users who try to share news content will be notified that they can’t do so—“a little bit of friction,” as Laventure put it. 

Publishers, meanwhile, will still have access to the platforms but will be similarly notified. Laventure wouldn’t say which publishers will be affected, though Meta said the tests will impact both Canadian and foreign news outlets. 

Though the company has said it wasn’t sure exactly what a news ban would look like, the tests are being done in part to ensure that news-free Facebook and Instagram “work effectively” and don’t block access to governmental and emergency services when rolled out across the country, Laventure said.

The reaction: Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez called the tests “a threat” and “deeply irresponsible.” “We have not received any assurances from Facebook. Given the current wildfires in various regions of Canada, we are extremely concerned that Canadians will no longer be able to access or share vital information on social media,” Heritage Ministry spokesperson Laura Scaffidi told The Logic. 

Paul Deegan, CEO of newspaper lobby group News Media Canada, said the tests “are a heavy-handed lobbying tactic in an attempt to thwart this badly needed legislation, which we hope will be passed before the summer recess.” The Logic’s CEO David Skok has testified in support of Bill C-18, while other independent publishers oppose it.

The context: Meta has previously blocked (then unblocked) access to news in Australia over similar legislation passed in that country. On Thursday, the California Assembly passed the Journalism Preservation Act, one day after the company similarly threatened to pull access to news in the state. In Canada, Google performed similar tests in February.