Canada demands Meta lift ban on news to allow fires info to be shared

Tens of thousands of citizens are being evacuated across the Northwest Territories as wildfires encroach on the capital Yellowknife.

By Reuters August 18, 2023
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FILE PHOTO: A satellite image shows wildfires burning near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada August 16, 2023. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

OTTAWA (Reuters) – A Canadian government minister on Friday demanded that Meta lift a ban on Canadian news from its platforms to allow people to share information about major forest fires in the west of the country.

Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez told a briefing that the ban was “unacceptable”. Meta started blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada earlier this month in response to a law requiring internet giants to pay for news articles.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren)