"Facebook blocks Australian users from viewing or sharing news"

" \n Facebook has blocked Australian users from sharing or viewing news content on the platform, causing much alarm over public access to key information. \n \n\n \n It comes in response to a proposed law which would make tech giants pay for news content on their platforms. \n \n\n \n Australians on Thursday woke up to find that Facebook pages of all local and global news sites were unavailable. \n \n\n \n Several government health and emergency pages were also blocked \u2013 something Facebook later asserted was a mistake. \n \n\n \n Those outside of the country are also unable to read or access any Australian news publications on the platform. \n \n\n \n The Australian government has strongly criticised the move, saying it demonstrated the \u201cimmense market power of these digital social giants\u201d. \n \n\n \n Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the ban on news information had a \u201chuge community impact\u201d. About 17 million Australians visit the social media site every month. \n \n\n \n He said the government was committed to passing the law, and \u201cwe would like to see them [Facebook] in Australia. \n \n\n \n \u201cBut I think their actions today were unnecessary and wrong,\u201d he added. \n \n\n \n Google and Facebook have fought the law because they say it doesn\u2019t reflect how the internet works, and unfairly \u201cpenalises\u201d their platforms. \n \n\n \n However, in contrast to Facebook, Google has in recent days signed payment deals with three major Australian media outlets. \n \n\n \n Facebook\u2019s action came just hours after\u00a0Google agreed to pay Rupert Murdoch\u2019s News Corp for content from news sites across its media empire. Why is Facebook doing this? \n \n\n \n Australian authorities had\u00a0drawn up the laws to \u201clevel the playing field\u201d between the tech giants and struggling publishers\u00a0over profits. Of every A$100 (\u00a356; $77) spent on digital advertising in Australian media these days, A$81 goes to Google and Facebook. \n \n\n \n But Facebook said the law left it \u201cfacing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia\u201d. \n \n\n \n \u201cWith a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter,\u201d\u00a0it said in a blog post. \n \n\n \n image captionFacebook said it was making the change \u201cwith a heavy heart\u201d \n \n\n \n The law sought \u201cto penalise Facebook for content it didn\u2019t take or ask for\u201d, the company\u2019s local managing director William Easton said. \n \n\n \n Facebook said it helped Australian publishers earn about A$407m (\u00a3228m;$316m) last year through referrals, but for itself \u201cthe platform gain from news is minimal\u201d. \n \n\n \n Under the ban, Australian publishers are also restricted from sharing or posting any links on their Facebook pages. The national broadcaster, the ABC, and newspapers like The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian have millions of followers. \n \n\n \n What happened with the government sites? \n \n\n \n Facebook\u2019s change also denied Australians access to many key government agencies, including police and emergency services, health departments and the Bureau of Meteorology. \n \n\n \n image captionThe ban is also affecting official government pages \n \n\n \n Other pages for charities, politicians, sports groups and other non-news organisations were also affected. \n \n\n \n Facebook later released a statement which said these pages had been \u201cinadvertently impacted\u201d and would be reinstated, though it did not give a deadline. \n \n\n \n A spokesperson said the company had \u201ctaken a broad definition\u201d of the term \u201cnews content\u201d in the law. \n \n\n \n How have Australians responded? \n \n\n \n The ban sparked an immediate backlash, with many Australians angry about their sudden loss of access to trusted and authoritative sources. \n \n\n \n Several pointed out that Facebook was one crucial way that people received emergency updates about the pandemic and national disaster situations. \n \n\n \n Others raised concerns about misinformation now freely circulating on the site. \n \n\n \n \u201cIt feels obviously very restrictive in what Facebook is going to allow people to do in the future, not only in Australia but around the world,\u201d Sydney man Peter Firth told the BBC. \n \n\n \n Amelia Marshall said she could not believe the firm\u2019s decision \u201cin the middle of a pandemic\u201d, adding: \u201cI\u2019ve made the long-overdue decision to permanently delete my Facebook account.\u201d \n \n\n \n Human Rights Watch\u2019 Australia director said Facebook was censoring the flow of information in the country \u2013 calling it a \u201cdangerous turn of events\u201d. \n \n\n \n \u201cCutting off access to vital information to an entire country in the dead of the night is unconscionable,\u201d said Elaine Pearson. \n \n\n \n How is the government responding? \n \n\n \n Australia\u2019s conservative government is standing by the law \u2013 which passed the lower house of parliament on Wednesday. It has broad cross-party support and will be debated again in parliament on Thursday. \n \n\n \n \u201cWe will legislate this code. We want the digital giants paying traditional news media businesses for generating original journalistic content,\u201d said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg who added that \u201cthe eyes of the world are watching what\u2019s happening here\u201d. \n \n\n \n He said he\u2019d also had a discussion with Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg which had been \u201cconstructive\u201d. \n \n\n \n But he pointed out that Facebook, like Google, had been negotiating pay deals with local organisations. This banning action had \u201ccome at an eleventh hour\u201d and damaged the site\u2019s reputation he said. \n \n\n \n \u201cWhat they\u2019re effectively saying to Australians is: \u201cYou will not find content on our platform which comes from an organisation which employs professional journalists, which has editorial policies, which has fact-checking processes\u201d. \n "

"Facebook blocks Australian users from viewing or sharing news"

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