Meta started blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram
platforms for all users in Canada this month in response to a new law requiring
internet giants to pay for news articles.
Some people fleeing wildfires in the remote northern town of
Yellowknife have complained to domestic media that the ban prevented them from
sharing important data about the fires.
"Meta's reckless choice to block news ... is hurting
access to vital information on Facebook and Instagram," Heritage Minister
Pascale St-Onge said in a social media post.
"We are calling on them to reinstate news sharing today
for the safety of Canadians facing this emergency. We need more news right now,
not less," she said.
Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez earlier said the ban
meant people did not have access to crucial information.
Chris Bittle, a legislator for the ruling Liberal Party,
complained on Thursday that "Meta's actions to block news are reckless and
irresponsible."
Ollie Williams, who runs Yellowknife's Cabin Radio digital
radio station, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that people were posting
screen shots of information on Facebook since they could not share links to
news feeds.
In response, a Meta spokesperson said by email that the
company had activated the "Safety Check" feature on Facebook that
allows users to spread the word that they are safe in the wake of a natural
disaster or a crisis.
Canadians can use Facebook and Instagram to access content
from official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental
organizations, the spokesperson added.
Meta says users do not come to its platform for news and forcing the company to pay for content shared on its platforms is unsustainable for its business. © Reuters