Canada’s dispute with Meta comes in the middle of a record-setting wildfire season. Courtesy | Facebook
The controversy unfolding between Canada and Meta should be a warning about the dangers of outsourcing a country’s safety.
Canada’s Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18, became law in June, according to CTV News. While the Canadian government promoted the bill as a means of protecting “the way Canadians access news content that is vital to democracy,” the bill requires social media companies to pay for the presence of domestic news organizations on their platforms.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, responded by announcing Canadian news outlets would no longer be allowed on its platforms, arguing the news groups did not provide enough monetary incentive to comply with the new regulations, according to The Associated Press.
Canadians can still view foreign news outlets. Former Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez accused large tech companies of shutting down local newsrooms, a problem the law attempts to solve.
The controversy heated up when Canada’s record-setting fire season, which began in April, worsened. Meta refused to reestablish Canadian news outlets on the platform, despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request that the company make an exception to the new policy.
Meta has acknowledged a loophole to its policy –– Canadians can still see information from “official government agencies, emergency services and non-governmental organizations,” according to a statement the company provided to CNN.
But Trudeau believes Meta’s actions, which stemmed directly from his own policies, are a significant danger to his people. Despite this, he continues avoiding responsibility for his own legislation.
Trudeau claims that Meta is putting profits over Canadians’ safety, but he assumes taking care of Canadians is Meta’s job. Meta, however, is a company, not a nonprofit charity or a government institution, and it has every right to make decisions based on its bottom line.
A government, not a company, exists to care for its people. If faced with a situation that made communication difficult, a good government would find alternative solutions instead of whining about perceived injustice.
The United States should take note. According to Reuters, the News Media Alliance, a Washington D.C.-based journalism advocacy group, wants the nation to pass similar legislation to Canada’s Online News Act. If America wants to broadcast how little it cares about its people, that’s exactly what it should do.
The best response would be to admit that Meta’s decision is Canada’s fault. A prime minister — or a president — who truly cared would accept the blame and take steps to ensure this misguided policy never happens again.
