A digital expert says B.C.B次元官网网址檚 recent agreement with Meta and other digital companies around protecting youth online B次元官网网址減robablyB次元官网网址� represents the B次元官网网址渂est outcome.B次元官网网址� But parts of the political opposition see the agreement as a B次元官网网址渂ackroom dealB次元官网网址� at the expense of local news.
Brandon Laur, CEO of The White Hatter, a digital literacy and internet safety education specialist company, said last weekB次元官网网址檚 agreement with the digital media companies to speed up the removal of B次元官网网址渘on-consensual intimate imagesB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� so-called B次元官网网址榬evenge pornB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� allows government to see results faster.
B次元官网网址淲orking together is probably better than B次元官网网址業 am going to sue,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淗ow long did it take us to see changes with tobacco and now with pharmaceutical companies? That has taken years to deal with through the courts.B次元官网网址�
The agreement with X, formerly known as Twitter, Google, TikTok, Snap and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, emerged out of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 new online action table. The action table itself emerged after the B.C. NDP had placed Bill 12 B次元官网网址� the Public Health Accountability and Cost Recovery Act B次元官网网址� on hold. The bill B次元官网网址� which died last week with the end of the legislative session B次元官网网址� would have allowed government to sue social media giants and other B次元官网网址渂ig faceless corporationsB次元官网网址� for B次元官网网址渉urting people.B次元官网网址�
Government had modelled the law after legislation with which B.C. had sued tobacco companies, then later pharmaceutical companies.
But Laur pointed to legal experts, who have expressed skepticism about the ability to prove harm from social media.
B次元官网网址淭here are some predictable outcomes from that (consuming drugs), but measuring and quantifying harm from social media, that is way more difficult.B次元官网网址�
The agreement also speaks of government exploring B次元官网网址渙pportunities for technology companies to help amplify official information for people in emergency situations like wildfires.B次元官网网址�
Meta, which blocks Canadian news from Facebook and Instagram because of the federal Online B次元官网网址 Act, has also agreed to the B次元官网网址渄issemination of reputable information available from official sources, such as government agencies and emergency servicesB次元官网网址� in case of wildfires. That agreement includes what government calls B次元官网网址渁dvertising supportB次元官网网址� from Meta and the other companies to amplify B次元官网网址渁wareness of safety resourcesB次元官网网址� throughout the wildfire season.
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B.C. UnitedB次元官网网址檚 Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, an area that requently experiences wildfires, questioned that aspect of the agreement.
B次元官网网址淭his Premier, however, decided to sell out the local news industry to Facebook in a backroom deal in exchange for government advertising and a promise by Facebook to amplify NDP propaganda, conveniently in the months leading up to the provincial election,B次元官网网址� Milobar said.
That has real-world implications, because MetaB次元官网网址檚 on-going ban on local news continues to deny British Columbians, including current evacuees in the Fort Nelson area, access to local news posted via social media.
Eby has in the past complained about MetaB次元官网网址檚 block of local news and urged the company to re-consider.
Attorney-General Niki Sharma, meanwhile, defended the agreement against MilobarB次元官网网址檚 charges involving Facebook.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e doing that for people that are facing really stressful wildfire situations,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲hen they need information B次元官网网址� the Premier has been clear on this B次元官网网址� we expect those platforms to deliver that information straight from the ministry. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to continue to do that work. WeB次元官网网址檙e very proud of it.B次元官网网址�
Laur acknowledged problems with MetaB次元官网网址檚 role in amplifying government messages, when it blocks out local news.
B次元官网网址淵es, it does make it that the government is the sole messenger,B次元官网网址� Laur said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the only story that goes through. If there (are) any competing challenges to the (government) messagingB次元官网网址hose contents and messages canB次元官网网址檛 be shared.B次元官网网址�
But Laur also tried to put things into perspective.
B次元官网网址淚 do see that there is a challenge, but on a balance of probability in terms of mitigating harm, I think getting warnings out to people is more important, especially evacuation orders, than any disagreements about government messaging that there might be.B次元官网网址�
The online action table will meet again in the fall and government has said that it always has the option of re-tabling the legislation, assuming re-election.
