NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
The United Kingdom's antitrust watchdog has blocked Facebook's acquisition of Giphy and ordered the social network to sell off the GIF-sharing platform, saying the deal hurts social media users and advertisers by stifling competition for animated images.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that the deal would let Facebook "increase its already significant market power" by denying or limiting other platforms' access to Giphy GIFs and driving traffic to Facebook-owned sites. It has noted previously that there's only one other big provider of GIFs, Google's Tenor.
The regulator also was concerned that the deal removed potential competition from the U.K.'s 7 billion pound (US$9.3 billion) display advertising market, of which Facebook controls half.
It's the first time the watchdog has sought to unwind a tech deal, marking an escalation by regulators seeking to tame digital giants.
Facebook, which has been renamed Meta, said it disagreed with the decision and is considering all its options, including an appeal.
"Both consumers and Giphy are better off with the support of our infrastructure, talent, and resources," the company said. "Together, Meta and Giphy would enhance Giphy's product for the millions of people, businesses, developers and API partners in the UK and around the world who use Giphy every day, providing more choices for everyone."
After consulting with other businesses and groups and assessing alternative solutions proposed by Facebook, the watchdog said it "concluded that its competition concerns can only be addressed by Facebook selling Giphy in its entirety to an approved buyer."
Stuart McIntosh, chair of the watchdog's independent group that carried out the investigation, said the deal "has already removed a potential challenger in the display advertising market."
"Without action, it will also allow Facebook to increase its significant market power in social media even further, through controlling competitors' access to Giphy GIFs," he said. "By requiring Facebook to sell Giphy, we are protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising."
New York-based Giphy's library of short looping videos, or GIFs, are a popular tool for internet users sending messages or posting on social media.
The two sides have waged a bitter battle over the deal, reportedly worth $400 million.
The Competition and Markets Authority said in a provisional decision in August that Facebook should be forced to sell Giphy. The social giant responded with a strongly worded letter, saying the provisional decision contained "fundamental errors."
Last month, the watchdog fined Facebook 50.5 million pounds ($67.4 million) for failing to provide information needed for the investigation, saying the company's failure to comply was deliberate.
The watchdog has said that prior to the deal, Giphy had been considering expanding its advertising services to other countries, including the U.K. That would have added a new player to the market and encouraged more innovation from social media sites and advertisers, but Facebook terminated Giphy's ad partnerships after announcing the deal, it said.
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing an unusual bond with deer.
A Sudbury woman said her husband was bringing the recycling out to the curb Wednesday night when he had to make a 'mad dash' inside after seeing a bear.