It’s apparently time to turn the lights out on Meta.
That’s because an advocacy group is calling on Canadians to boycott Facebook and Instagram this week in response to the platforms’ recent block of Canadian news content.
The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting is behind the protest and wants social media users to stop posting content on these platforms, owned by Meta, on Wednesday, Aug. 23 and Thursday, Aug. 24.
This comes after Canada passed the Online News Act in June requiring tech giants to pay news publishers for sharing their content. As a result, Meta decided to halt news sharing on their platforms, leaving Canadians unable to see news content on their platforms.
“Meta is betting that Canadians will keep flocking back to their platforms, no matter how much disdain they demonstrate for our laws and for our news media. But what if we stood up to their bullying once and for all?” the group wrote on its website.
“That may seem like an eternity in social media time, but to Meta, it will seem even longer. At the end of the day, our eyeballs on their platforms are the most valuable commodity Meta has. So, let’s hit them where it hurts,” it continued.
The group is also calling on elected officials to do their part and “go dark” on their platforms.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even recently spoke out and accused Meta of putting corporate profits ahead of democracy.
During a news conference on Monday, he also said that their refusal to pay up for their share of advertising profits made off the backs of Canadians is unacceptable, as is their decision to “block access to their sites or access from sharing important local news.”
