While Canada is in the grip of megafires, the blocking of media on the social networks of the Meta group, in particular Facebook, is widely criticized. The network is widely used by people to learn about the evolution of fires and communicate within local communities. But Facebook has been blocking access to media articles since early August.
This measure is the consequence of a law which obliges Gafam to properly remunerate publishers via commercial agreements when their content is shared, a very unusual practice at the moment. The Meta group opposes this law and has therefore decided to ban media content from its two flagship networks (Facebook and Instagram), displaying in place of each link to a media article or video the following message: “This content is not available in Canada”.
A decision that seems to complicate the lives of Canadian disaster victims and populations living near the disastrous fires that are currently spreading in the Far North, having already engulfed 11,000 hectares. For many, Facebook is an essential tool for vigilance and organization.
Less credible information
According to Shawna Bruce, disaster management instructor at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, interviewed by the BBC, “about 77% of Canadians use Facebook and one in four get their news primarily through Facebook”. “The timing could not have been more ill-chosen”, judges the researcher. Some Facebook groups such as “NWT Wildfires Safety check” share real-time updates on the progress of the fires, thanks in particular to the media.
To replace the links, screenshots are now shared, even if a posted image does not allow the same guarantee of authenticity. “We are currently finding a lot of disinformation without the counterweight represented by serious and credible journalistic work”, underlines the Ministry of Health nearby Montreal Journalwhile the Ministry of Heritage denounces an “irresponsible” decision by Meta.