Meta accused of endangering lives over Canada news block as wildfires rage
- Residents say it has been ‘insanely difficult’ to find verifiable information about the fires blazing across Canada
- Some have found ways to get around the block by sharing screenshots of news articles, as others urge Meta to lift the ban, even if temporarily
Meta is being accused of endangering lives by blocking news links in Canada at a crucial moment, when thousands have fled their homes and are desperate for wildfire updates that once would have been shared widely on Facebook.
The situation “is dangerous”, said Kelsey Worth, 35, one of nearly 20,000 residents of Yellowknife and thousands more in small towns ordered to evacuate the Northwest Territories as wildfires advanced.
She described to AFP how “insanely difficult” it had been for herself and other evacuees to find verifiable information about the fires blazing across the near-Arctic territory and other parts of Canada.
“Nobody’s able to know what’s true or not,” she said.
“And when you’re in an emergency situation, time is of the essence,” she said, explaining that many Canadians until now had relied on social media for news.
Meta on August 1 started blocking the distribution of news links and articles on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in response to a recent law requiring digital giants to pay publishers for news content.