On Monday, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Facebook of prioritising profits over people’s safety after the platform continues to block news due to his controversial Online News Act amid Canada’s record wildfire season.
Because of Trudeau’s Bill C-18 or the Online News Act a new law requiring tech corporations to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their work online, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, stated earlier this summer that it will keep its vow to restrict news content from Canada on its services.
Fires in Canada have displaced tens of thousands of people and threatened communities such as Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. British Columbia was under evacuation orders for approximately 30,000 people.
“Right now, in an emergency situation where up-to-date local information is more important than ever, Facebook is putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety,” Trudeau said at a news conference in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island, on Monday.
“It is unfathomable that a company like Facebook would prioritise corporate profits over ensuring that local news organisations can provide up-to-date information to Canadians,” the prime minister said.
On Friday, government ministers urged Meta to reconsider its embargo on Canadian news, which applies to both local and national broadcasters such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The company, based in San Francisco, stood by its decision, saying in a statement about the wildfires that people in Canada can continue to use Instagram and Facebook “to connect with their communities and access reputable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services, and non-governmental organisations.”
Residents and visitors to the country are unable to see or share news on Meta-owned social networks, including news articles, videos, and audio uploaded by outlets in and outside of Canada.
Meta has not been acting alone. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, also stated that it would remove Canadian news links in response to Justin Trudeau’s new rule, but has yet to do so. The Online News Act, which was passed in late June after much debate, is slated to go into force later this year.
“This is Facebook’s choice,” Trudeau explained. “In a democracy, quality local journalism matters, and it matters now more than ever before when people are worried about their homes, worried about their communities, worried about the worst summer for extreme events that we’ve had in a very long time.”
Premier David Eby of British Columbia said it is unacceptable that Meta has not reconsidered its decision to prevent Canadian news from being shared online.
“I find it astonishing that we are at this stage of the crisis and the owners of Facebook and Instagram have not come forward and said, ‘We’re trying to make a point with the federal government, but it’s more important that people are safe,'” Eby added.
He went on to say that many people in British Columbia rely on media disseminated through Facebook to learn about the wildfires.
Meta had previously taken similar moves. It briefly removed news from its platform in Australia in 2021 after the country approved legislation requiring digital companies to pay publishers for using their news content. It later signed agreements with Australian publishers.
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