19h55 PST 2/17/2021
in
Abid Rahman
The social media giant made the decision because of proposed laws in the country to make Big Tech pay for journalism.
Facebook has blocked Australian users from viewing or sharing news links on its platform in reaction to proposals for new laws in the country that will force tech giants to pay for journalism.
The new rules for Australian Facebook users mean that they cannot share Australian or international news and international users outside Australia cannot share Australian news either.
“The proposed law misinterprets the relationship between our platform and the publishers who use it to share news content,” said Facebook Australia and New Zealand regional administrative director William Easton in a post on the company’s website.
“This left us with a difficult choice: to try to comply with a law that ignores the reality of this relationship or to stop allowing news content on our services in Australia. With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter option,” added Easton.
The company’s decision to take the nuclear option and block access and news sharing has already generated a storm of criticism from emergency services in Australia, which rely on the social media platform to broadcast vital information about forest fires, floods, weather conditions extreme and COVID-19 among other issues of local interest and public safety.
Australian children’s hospitals, neighborhood watchdog organizations, charities and NGOs have all seen posts removed, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday local time.
The Australian government has criticized Facebook for what is a milestone in the local ban on viewing and sharing news. “Facebook was wrong. Facebook’s actions were unnecessary, they were heavy and will damage its reputation here in Australia,” treasurer Josh Frydenberg told a news conference in Canberra today.
“The decision to block Australians from accessing government websites – be they about support through the pandemic, mental health, emergency services, the Bureau of Meteorology – had nothing to do with the media code that has not yet been approved. in the Senate, “added Frydenberg.
Facebook’s unilateral response to the proposed legislation covering digital news in Australia is in stark contrast to Google, which after an initially uncompromising stance and threats to withdraw its services from the country is now in negotiations and has closed deals with local media companies said Frydenberg.
Google has already struck a deal with Seven West Media (Seven Network, The West Australian newspaper) and is close to commercial deals with Nine Entertainment (Nine Network, Nine Radio and major newspapers The age and Sydney Morning Herald) and the national broadcaster ABC.
On Wednesday, Google signed a historic agreement with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp to pay for journalism on its global news sites, including the company’s Australian assets, as the top daily newspapers The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun as well as its Foxtel and Sky News Australia television properties.