Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed Facebook for “putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety” as the social media site continues to censor news content as wildfires rage in Canada’s Northwest Territories and British Columbia.
“It is so inconceivable that a company like Facebook is choosing to put corporate profits ahead of ensuring that local news organizations can get up-to-date information to Canadians, and reach them where Canadians spend a lot of their time; online, on social media, on Facebook,” Trudeau said during a news conference Monday.
The most recent figures from Canadian authorities show that since this past weekend, about 60,000 people have been given evacuation orders throughout the Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Also on Monday, Trudeau called the destruction caused by the wildfires “apocalyptic” and commended Canadians for helping evacuees.
In response to recently-passed legislation in the nation that requires tech companies to negotiate payments to news organizations for hosting their content, Facebook’s parent company Meta started blocking news links from Facebook and Instagram in Canada earlier this month.
Canada “continue to use our technologies in large numbers to connect with their communities and access reputable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations,” a Meta spokesperson told the media in a statement on Monday.
The new legislation in Canada “forces us to end access to news content in order to comply with the legislation but we remain focused on making our technologies available,” the statement continued, mentioning Meta’s Safety Check tool, which the company said more than 45,000 people had used as of Friday to mark themselves as safe.
The Meta representative also mentioned that 300,000 Facebook users had accessed the Yellowknife and Kelowna Crisis Response pages.
In June, the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18 in Canada, received its final approval. By regulating “digital news intermediaries with a view to enhancing fairness in the Canadian digital news marketplace,” it seeks to support the long-term viability of news organizations.
In a previous blog post for the company, Meta claimed that the “misrepresents the value news outlets receive when choosing to use our platforms.”
A global discussion about the relationship between news organizations and social media companies, as well as the value of news content and who should profit from it, is currently taking place at the same time as the ongoing controversy in Canada.
Trudeau said in his remarks on Monday that Facebook’s decision to censor news content will ultimately be “bad for democracy.”
“But right now, in an emergency situation, where up-to-date local information is more important than ever, Facebook’s putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety,” Trudeau said.
Source-CNN
