Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Urged By Canada To Lift News Ban Amid Wildfire Crisis

The Canadian government has urged Meta Platforms Inc. META to lift a ban on domestic news sharing to aid in wildfire information dissemination.

What Happened: On Friday, the Canadian government demanded that Meta lift its ban on domestic news on its platforms. This comes in response to wildfires in the country’s west, where people have been unable to share crucial information due to the ban, reported Reuters. 

Earlier this month, Meta restricted Canadian users’ access to news content on Facebook and Instagram in response to a new law mandating internet giants to compensate for news articles.

Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge criticized Meta’s decision as “reckless” and urged the Mark Zuckerberg-led company to reinstate news sharing immediately. “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.”

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Meta has activated the “Safety Check” feature on Facebook, allowing users to signal that they’re safe during a crisis. Canadians can still access content from official government agencies, emergency services, and NGOs on Facebook and Instagram, the report noted, citing a company spokesperson.  

Why It Matters: This dispute stems from the Canadian Parliament’s passing of the Online News Act earlier in June, which requires online platforms to pay for news content. In response, Meta and Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL decided to remove links to Canadian news sites.

By July, Canada’s Transport Minister, Pablo Rodriguez, announced plans to cut off advertising spending on Facebook and Instagram, which was expected to starve Meta of significant advertising revenue.

The current wildfires have intensified this issue, with the Canadian government demanding Meta lift its ban to allow crucial information regarding wildfires to be shared. This situation underscores the potential public safety risks posed by such news bans.

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