Meta has successfully addressed a bug that temporarily hindered some Threads users in Canada from accessing and sharing news on the app, as confirmed by a company spokesperson to Engadget. Despite Meta's earlier removal of news content from Canadian users' Facebook and Instagram feeds this year, the block did not extend to Threads.

However, a subset of Threads users became uncertain about this status when alerts suggested otherwise. A notice bearing Threads branding stated, "People in Canada can't view this content," further adding, "Content from news publishers can't be viewed in Canada in response to Canadian government legislation."

The extent and duration of the bug's occurrence remain unclear, with reports emerging on Monday and some users still experiencing issues viewing links as of Tuesday morning. Expressing frustration, user Pedro Marques posted on Monday, "Well... that sucks. @meta is escalating their news blocking in Canada, previously only on Facebook and Instagram, now on Threads."

A Meta spokesperson clarified to Engadget that, for now, Threads is not subject to the Online News Act's framework. Nevertheless, the appearance of the notice has sparked speculation that Meta might consider implementing news content blocks on Threads in the future.

Recent years have witnessed major tech companies grappling with countries over compensating news publishers. In 2021, Facebook halted the sharing of news links in Australia, while Google threatened a similar action, but both eventually reached agreements to pay Australian news organizations.

In August, Meta initiated news blocking on Facebook and Instagram in Canada in response to the country's Online News Act, mandating platforms to remunerate news organizations for lost advertising revenue. Google, initially pledging to block news links, ultimately reached an agreement with the Canadian government and committed to an annual payment of around $100 million to Canadian publishers, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Despite Meta's previous downplaying of news on Threads—Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated earlier this year that the company didn't want to "amplify news" on the platform—blocking news on Threads could have a more significant impact than it did on Instagram and Facebook. The app has amassed around 100 million users as more individuals seek alternatives to Twitter.

However, blocking news might diminish the app's utility for users and publishers who have seen increased engagement on the platform. Expressing frustration, a Threads user named Dexter wrote, "How will Threads replace Twitter when I can't even click on a news story in Canada without getting blocked by Meta."