“Facebook is harmful to democracy” – FireWire

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Fired strong blasts for Meta, the group behind platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. According to Trudeau, the decisions made by this company, led by Mark Zuckerberg, ‘Harms democracy’as their social networks blocked access to news related to forest fires affecting different regions of the country.

There are various important variables hidden behind the conflict, with access to information at the epicenter, especially at critical times for Canada, as shown in the report. All news.

in July, Meta announced a crucial change for Canadian users, resulting in the inability to access news from local media. This action was in response to A law requiring social media companies to negotiate with publishers and pay content creators for news published on their platforms.

In other words, given the legislation requiring media outlets to pay for news content shared on Facebook, Meta has chosen to block such content.

Trudeau’s words

“It is incomprehensible that a company like Mita Decide to prioritize corporate profits over ensuring that local news organizations provide Canadians with up-to-date informationTrudeau said.

The Prime Minister added that this kind of behavior on the part of Mita ‘Harms democracy in a broader context’Because in such a system it is necessary to have access to “quality journalism and a variety of points of view.”

Trudeau, 51, who took office in 2015, confirmed:In times of emergency, up-to-date local information is more important than ever“.

In this regard, a representative of the company Meta, based in Palo Alto, California, explained to the Associated Press that: They stand by their decision, adding that people in Canada can still use Facebook and Instagram. “To connect with their communities and access trusted information, including official content.”

For his part, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, said that the Online News Act was approved by the Canadian Parliament this year It is based on an incorrect premiseBecause it believes that Meta is unfairly profiting from the news content that is shared on its platforms, when the opposite is true.