A Canadian government minister demanded this Friday Aim to lift the ban on broadcasting Canadian news on their platforms to allow people to share information about the large forest fires in the west of the country.
Meta started blocking news on its platforms Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada earlier this month in response to a law that requires internet giants to pay for news articles.
Some people fleeing wildfires in the remote northern town of Yellowknife complained to national media that the ban prevented them from sharing important data about the fires.
“What Meta is currently doing is totally unacceptable (…) we see that because of this ban, people do not have access to absolutely crucial information,” Transport Minister Pablo Rodríguez said during a briefing.
I demand that Meta reverse this decision,” continued Rodríguez, who in his previous role as Minister of Heritage oversaw legislation requiring payment for the objects.
Chris Bittle, MP for the ruling Liberal Party, denounced Thursday that “Meta’s actions to block information are reckless and irresponsible.”
In response, a Meta spokesperson said the company had enabled Facebook’s “Safety Check” feature, which allows users to broadcast that they are safe after a natural disaster or crisis.
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