OTTAWA, Aug 21 (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lambasted Meta on Monday for banning local news on its platforms amid raging fires, saying that during a crisis, having up-to-date information is crucial .
“Facebook (NASDAQ:META) puts business profits before people’s safety,” he said at a televised news conference in the Atlantic province of Prince Edward Island, adding that the company’s actions were “inconceivable”.
Trudeau’s comments mark a new government attack on Meta, which this month began blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada in response to a new law requiring internet giants to pay for the content of newspaper articles.
Last week, federal cabinet ministers called the ban reckless and irresponsible. Some people fleeing the fires complained that the ban prevented them from sharing important facts about the fires.
“It’s time we expected more from companies like Facebook, which make billions of dollars for Canadians,” Trudeau said.
Meta was not immediately available for comment.
A company spokesperson previously noted that Canadians can continue to access information from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations on the platform.
Facebook has also enabled the “Safety Check” feature, which lets users let people know they’re safe after a natural disaster or crisis.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; Writing by David Ljunggren; Spanish editing by Daniela Desantis)
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