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A wildfire near the Ingraham Trail in Canada’s Northwest Territories has led to evacuations. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized Facebook’s parent company, Meta, for prohibiting the dissemination of local news during these wildfire instances. The photo is courtesy of NWT Fire.
Aug. 21 (UPI) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has strongly criticized Facebook parent company Meta for blocking local news on their platforms amidst a large number of ongoing wildfires across Canada.
During a three-day cabinet retreat in Prince Edward Island, Trudeau addressed reporters on Monday and stated, “Facebook is prioritizing corporate profits ahead of people’s safety and the quality of local journalism, just when up-to-date local information is more crucial than ever in an emergency situation.”
Trudeau added, “At a time like this, when local journalists should be adequately compensated for providing Canadians with essential information about events like wildfires, Facebook is instead preventing news from being accessible on their sites. This is not appropriate.”
In June, Meta announced its decision to remove news from Facebook and Instagram in Canada after the enactment of the Online News Act. This legislation obliges technology giants to remunerate local news outlets for featuring their content on their platforms. Google followed suit a week later by announcing its intent to withdraw links to news outlets from search results in Canada.
Lisa Laventure, the head of communications for Meta Canada, explained the company’s position in a statement on Monday, stating, “The Online News Act necessitates us to restrict access to news content in order to comply with the law.” She advised Canadians to refer to government websites for news information.
Laventure added, “Despite these changes, Canadians continue to widely use our technologies to connect with their communities, access reliable information, and view content from official government agencies, emergency services, and non-governmental organizations.”
Meta also introduced a feature called Safety Check on its platforms to enable users to notify their friends and family about their well-being.
Despite Meta’s response to the Online News Act in Canada, Trudeau stood firm in his stance when questioned by reporters on Monday. He expressed his dismay, stating, “It is utterly inconceivable that a company like Facebook would prioritize corporate profits over allowing local news organizations to provide Canadians with up-to-date information and connect with them on platforms where they spend a significant amount of their time, such as online and social media.”
Trudeau further stated, “This is Facebook’s decision. We are merely emphasizing the essentiality of quality local journalism in a democracy, especially in times like these when people are concerned about their homes, communities, and the increased frequency of extreme weather events during this summer.”
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