Canada demands Meta lift ban on news to allow fires info to be shared

OTTAWA, Aug 18 (Reuters) - A Canadian government minister on Friday demanded that Meta lift a ban on Canadian news from its platforms to allow people to share information about major forest fires in the west of the country.

Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez told a briefing that the ban was "unacceptable". Meta started blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada earlier this month in response to a law requiring internet giants to pay for news articles. (Reporting by David Ljunggren)