Canada\u0027s Heritage Minister is calling on Meta to allow people to share news articles on Facebook and Instagram as thousands flee wildfires.
and a Saturday interview with The Canadian Press, Pascale St-Onge said the social media giant is recklessly putting people’s lives at risk by blocking Canadian news articles on its two massive platforms.“Facebook, Meta has decided to put their own interests above public safety,” she said Saturday. “As a company, they should be acting as good corporate citizens and reverse their ban so that we can make sure that people have access to the information that they need.
Meanwhile, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories have declared states of emergency as raging forest fires encroach on cities including West Kelowna, B.C., and the territorial capital of Yellowknife. As tens of thousands of people flee under evacuation orders, they won’t find content from Canadian news outlets on Facebook or Instagram to help them stay abreast of the latest information from officials.
Meta blocked Canadian news on its social media sites earlier this month in response to federal legislation — Bill C-18 — which requires some tech giants to pay for news content shared or repurposed on their platforms. Meta is Facebook’s parent company and formerly bore the same name as the social media platform.
Bill C-18 is not yet in effect, though it was passed in the House of Commons, St-Onge said. That means Meta is not yet on the hook to pay for any Canadian news posted to its sites. The company, alongside other tech giants, media companies and members of the public, will be invited to weigh in on any regulations resulting from the bill, she added. That consultation period will begin in the coming days.
“Facebook has decided to abandon news even before the bill is fully in effect instead of participating in the consultation process and helping us make sure that the regulation is right, and that it’s good,” St-Onge said. “That’s a choice and a decision that they made. And now we’re seeing that it is putting people’s lives at risk.”Article content
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Heritage Minister says Meta news block endangers lives as Canadians flee wildfiresCanada's Heritage Minister redoubled her calls for Meta to end its ban on Canadian news content on Facebook and Instagram on Saturday as thousands of Canadians continued their rush to escape wildfires ravaging British Columbia and the Northwest Terri
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