Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has slammed the decision by Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to block links to news articles on its various social media channels amid massive fires raging across the country. . “Facebook puts its profits before the safety of citizens”said Mr. Trudeau on Monday at a press conference in Cornwall, in the province of Prince Edward Island (southeast of the country).
1er August, Meta began blocking Canadians’ access to media content on Facebook and Instagram, in response to a new law forcing big digital companies to pay publishers. According to Meta, the media intentionally uses Facebook and Instagram to “increase their readership and increase their profits”knowing that “it’s not the news that pushes people to use [ses] platforms ».
This blockage, which therefore deprives Facebook and Instagram users of information sources, takes place as fires have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and threaten localities, such as Yellowknife, the capital of the Territories of the North West. Around 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate to British Columbia. “It is inconceivable that a company like Facebook would choose to put profits first rather than ensuring local media have the opportunity to keep Canadians informed”added Mr. Trudeau.
Canadian authorities asked Meta on Friday to lift the block, but the company refused, arguing that internet users can continue to use Instagram and Facebook “to connect to their communities” and get information from “official government agencies, emergency services as well as non-governmental organizations”.
Alphabet, owner of Google, also intends to block links to news sites, again to protest against Law C-18 (“Online News Act”), relating to online information. Adopted in June, this law, which is inspired by a measure introduced in Australia in 2021, aims to support the Canadian media sector, in difficulty. It obliges digital leaders to enter into fair trade agreements with local media for content broadcast on their platforms, or risk having to resort to binding arbitration.