Facebook, the Meta-owned social media platform, was singled out by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for putting profits over people’s well-being.
Canada’s Online News Act, which was passed in late June, is set to take effect later this year. It warrants search media engines and social media sites must negotiate with and pay Canadian news sites before publishing their stories, re-purposing them or posting links.
Meta has already said it would block all news content on its platform, and Google is expected to join later this year.
In keeping with their decision on Canadian news posts, Meta is blocking any news content being posted on its platform, and that has not gone down well with prime minister Trudeau, who is grappling with serious wildfires in his country that has left tens of thousands of people homeless.
In a news conference on Monday, Trudeau said: “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.
“It is so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put profits ahead of ensuring that local news organisations can get up-to-date information to Canadians.
“This is Facebook’s choice. 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.”
Canada appeals to Meta for news
Last Friday, Canadian ministers called on Meta to lift its news ban, which also applied to national media such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, apart from local news outlets.
The Mark Zuckerberg-owned company stood by its decision and said 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”.
Meta has a past record of blocking news. In 2021, it blocked news on its platform in Australia after a similar legislation was passed that would compel tech companies to pay publishers for using their news stories. The company later struck deals with Australian publishers.
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