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Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, slammed Facebook with prioritizing “profits ahead of people’s safety” after the company censored news during the terrible wildfires that ravaged the nation.
In reaction to a Canadian law requiring them to share profits with news organizations, Facebook prohibited journalism from its platform. The embargo, according to wildfire evacuees, has made it more difficult for them to communicate vital information with one another.
The law is “fundamentally flawed” according to Meta, the parent corporation of Facebook. The actions of Meta were “inconceivable” the prime minister declared on Monday during a televised news conference.
From August 1st, the business has prevented news from appearing on Facebook and Instagram in Canada. This is because the country’s parliament approved a law requiring online news platforms like Google and Meta to negotiate content agreements with news publishers.
Since then, Meta has received harsh condemnation from Canadian authorities. Pascale St-Onge, Canada’s minister of culture, claimed in a post on social media on Saturday that the corporation is preventing consumers from accessing “essential information”.
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Evacuees Struggle to Share Crucial Information
This is being done, she continued, despite the fact that the Internet News Act, often known as Bill C-18, has not yet taken effect. She referred to Meta’s choice as “reckless” in an earlier piece.
According to a statement provided to the BBC by Meta, the company is compelled by law “to end access to news content in order to comply with the legislation”
Facebook noted that it had turned on a “Safety Check” option for users in evacuated areas on its platform. Users can then access “reputable information, including content from official government agencies” and mark themselves as safe, according to a spokeswoman.
The press ban, according to evacuees in the Northwest Territories, where a wildfire is still burning 15 kilometers (9 miles) from its capital city Yellowknife, has made it more difficult for them to share life-saving information with their network.
Delaney Poitras, whose home in Fort Smith has had to be evacuated twice in recent weeks, told the CBC that she hasn’t been able to share things like official news conferences or news items on evacuation bulletins.
She continues by saying that connecting individuals in her community through Facebook is crucial. We all use it to stay in touch, she remarked. According to data, Facebook is used by 77% of Canadians, and 1 in 4 of these users rely on it for news.
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Source: BBC
