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By Canadian Press

Group calls for Facebook, Instagram boycott on Aug. 23 and 24

Aug 21, 2023 | 12:50 PM

TORONTO – An advocacy group is calling on Canadians to boycott Facebook and Instagram later this week.

The Friends of Canadian Broadcasting group is asking people to stop posting content on Meta’s platforms on Aug. 23 and 24.

READ MORE: Editors Note: Facebook access gone. Here’s what we know as news outlets are locked out from some social media

The group says the move is meant to show that Canadians won’t be pushed around by Meta, which decided to pull news from Canadian publishers from its platforms in response to legislation that recently passed.

The Online News Act requires tech giants Meta and Google to make deals with news publishers whose work they link to or repurpose on their platforms.

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So far, Meta has shown an unwillingness to cooperate on a potential deal.

The group’s executive director Marla Boltman says the boycott will show Meta that if news leaves the platform, so will users.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2023.

The Canadian Press