Trudeau accuses Meta of prioritizing profit over safety by censoring wildfire coverage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his disapproval on Monday towards Meta’s decision to block domestic news on its platforms. He argued that the Facebook-parent company’s focus on profit was taking precedence over ensuring public safety, especially during the severe wildfires that have compelled numerous individuals to evacuate their residences.
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 ban ahead of the news 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 Prince Edward Island province in the Atlantic kingdom, 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.
“It’s time for us to expect more from companies like Facebook that make billions of dollars off Canadians,” Trudeau said.
Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A company spokesperson previously noted that Canadians can still access information from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations on the platform.
Facebook has also activated a “Safety Check” feature that allows users to spread the word that they are safe after a natural disaster or crisis.
Canada is in the midst of its worst wildfire season on record, with last week’s fires ravaging the Western Province of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Writing by David Ljunggren; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Macfie)
