(Toronto) A culture and media advocacy group is calling on Canadians to boycott Facebook and Instagram this week.

FRIENDS of Broadcasting is asking people to stop posting content on Meta’s platforms on August 23-24.

The group says the move is intended to show that Canadians won’t be taken in by Meta, which decided to pull news from its platforms in response to a law that was recently passed.

The Online News Act requires tech giants Meta and Google to enter into agreements with news outlets whose pieces of journalistic content are linked or reused on their platforms.

So far, Meta has been reluctant to cooperate on a possible deal.

The group’s chief executive, Marla Boltman, believes the boycott will show Meta that if information leaves the platform, so will users.

“The eyes on their platforms are Meta’s most valuable commodity,” she added in a statement.

“Losing many Canadian users, even for a short time, will get their attention. Most importantly, it will give Canadians an opportunity to air their frustration and disappointment with Meta. »