Mrinalini Majumdar, Pune
Meta is in the news once again, but this time the criticism is by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. According to him, Meta is not allowing important news to reach the citizens of Canada. This comes right after Meta’s move to block news on its platforms: Facebook and Instagram.
As horrific wildfires forced thousands of individuals to flee their homes, Facebook-parent seemed to have prioritized business over safety. There has been a halt in the delivery of news from Meta’s end due to a new law that requires internet giants to spend for news articles. Meta had long indicated that the newly enacted Online News Act appeared detrimental for its company since it places a premium on links that are passed along by users, and enforced the news ban in advance of the law’s planned implementation by the end of the current fiscal year.
In recent light of events, Canada is experiencing its worse wildfires. The western provinces of British Columbia and Northwest territories have been engulfed by the fires. Last Monday, federal Liberal cabinet ministers described the prohibition as foolish and irresponsible. Some individuals escaping wildfires complained to domestic media that the prohibition made it impossible for them to share critical information about the blaze.
Despite criticisms expressed by Canada’s Prime Minister, officials from Meta say otherwise. According to a statement by a Meta spokesperson, Canadians continue to utilize the company’s platforms to engage with their communities and receive information, which includes information from official government departments, disaster relief agencies, and non-governmental organizations. In accordance with the company, over 45,000 people utilized Facebook’s “Safety Check” tool to identify themselves safe, while 300,000 people visited crisis response pages in search of help.
Meta is still not acting alone. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, additionally stated that it would remove Canadian news links as a consequence of the new rule. However, this is yet to be implemented. The Online News Act, which was passed in late June after much debate, is slated to go into force later this year.