Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused Meta Platforms Inc. of thinking more about its profit than the safety of Canadians, as Canada and Meta keep bumping heads over Meta’s blackout of the country’s news.
Canada is currently having its worst fire season on record, with cities encountering wildfires in the Northwest Territories and around 35,000 residents evacuated in British Columbia. Meanwhile, Meta still bans hearing Canadian domestic news on Facebook and Instagram. Meta started blocking news earlier this month in response to a new Canadian law, Bill C-18, that requires tech giants to pay up for news content that appears on their platforms.
The government of Canada has labelled the ban “irresponsible” and added that as locals in parts of Canada presently struggle to flee from the fires, it’s nothing below “reckless.”
Also, Google LLC has said it would remove links to Canadian news because of the new law, though the search engine giant has not followed through on its promise.
In 2022, Meta had a fallout with the Australian government over a similar new law but the company soon reached a deal with publishers in the country. In Canada, Meta is holding fast to its news ban, despite growing criticism and pleas from Canadian politicians to lift it at this trying time.
At a recent press conference, Trudeau: “Right now, in an emergency where up-to-date local information is more important than ever, Facebook is putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety.
“It is so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of ensuring that local news organizations can get up-to-date information to Canadians.”
The accusation of placing profits above safety has been levelled against Meta many times, but in this case, Meta hasn’t been disturbed. In a statement, the company said Canadians can still use its platforms “to connect with their communities and access reputable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services, and non-governmental organizations.”
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