Meta Under Fire For Allegedly Prioritizing Profits Over Safety By Suppressing Wildfire Reports In Canada
OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized Meta on Monday for blocking domestic news on its platforms, saying the Facebook parent was putting profits ahead of safety as devastating wildfires force tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.
Trudeau’s comments represent the latest attack by the government on Meta, which this month began blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms from all Canadian users in response to a new law requiring internet giants to pay for news articles.
Meta had long signaled that the online news law would not sustain its business because it would put a price on links shared by users, and enacted the news ban ahead of the law’s expected implementation by the end of this year.
“Facebook puts corporate profits before people’s safety,” Trudeau said at a televised news conference in the Atlantic province of Prince Edward Island, saying the company’s actions were “incomprehensible.”
Federal Liberal ministers last week described the ban as reckless and irresponsible. Some people fleeing the wildfires complained to domestic media that the ban prevented them from sharing important information about the fires.
Canada is in the midst of its worst wildfire season on record, with last week’s fires ravaging the western province of British Columbia (B.C.) and the Northwest Territories (NWT).
“It’s time for us to expect more from companies like Facebook that make billions of dollars off Canadians,” Trudeau said in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island.
A Meta spokesperson said Canadians continue to use its platforms to connect with their communities and access information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations.
As of Friday, more than 45,000 people had used Facebook’s “Safety Check” feature to mark themselves as safe, and about 300,000 people had visited the Yellowknife, NWT and Kelowna BC crisis management pages. ask for support according to the company.
