Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday criticized Meta for blocking domestic news from its platforms, saying the Facebook-parent was prioritizing profit over safety as devastating wildfires force tens of thousands to evacuate their homes.
Trudeau’s comments represent the latest government attack on Meta, which this month started 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 news articles.
Canada shouldn’t become a country where the government decides what we see, hear, and do. They already meddle in that too much, and blocking websites that aren’t engaging in illegal activity is absurd. Will they block the Fediverse next?
All Meta is doing here is complying with the new law. The government said “pay to link to news sites or stop linking to them” and that’s exactly what Meta is doing. It’s another stupid law pushed by corporate Canada for their own benefit, and now they’re surprised at the most obvious outcome.