#delete FACEBOOK
Worldwide campaign to ditch social media bully
OUTRAGE AS TECH GIANT BANS NEWS IN AUSTRALIA
IT RISKS BEING TREATED ‘LIKE A TOBACCO FIRM’ IN UK
FACEBOOK has been warned by Britain that it could be policed like big oil and tobacco firms after blocking news stories in Australia – just as the world fights Covid misinformation. Users launched a #DeleteFacebook campaign after the tech giant retaliated to a proposed law which would make it pay for news content shared on its platform. Founder Mark Zuckerberg’s shock move blocked pages and stopped outlets posting stories. Facebook users saw a message saying, ‘This post can’t be shared’, while links from Australian news outlets were censored globally. Charities such as Save the Children Australia, hospitals and government departments were hit and the meteorology bureau could not post fire and flood alerts.
In a post on his own Facebook page, Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison called its actions ‘as arrogant as they were disappointing’.
Here, Julian Knight, chair of parliament’s digital, culture, media and sport committee, said: ‘This bully boy action will I think ignite a desire to go further amongst legislators around the world. We
represent people and I’m sorry, but you can’t run a bulldozer over that.
‘If Facebook thinks it can do that, it will face the same long-term ire as the likes of big oil and tobacco.’
The Tory MP added: ‘If you gain value from carrying trusted sources of information then – in the same way as if you gain value from music streams – those that carry it and sell advertising off the back of it should pay for it.’
In the US, Democrat politician David Cicilline branded the site ‘not compatible with democracy’.
A spokesman for MailOnline – part of Metro’s parent company and one of the world’s most popular news websites – said it was ‘astonished by this inflammatory move which is a blatant and clumsy attempt to try and intimidate the Australian government’.
Australia’s new law, if approved, would require Facebook and Google to reach deals with news outlets or agree a price through forced arbitration.
Google threatened to remove its search functions in Australia in protest this week, then backed down after signing deals with media companies, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which will receive ‘significant payments’ in a three-year agreement. Aussie PM Mr Morrison criticised Facebook for ‘cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services’ during it’s ‘actions to unfriend Australia’.
Facebook – which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp – said it would reverse ‘inadvertent’ blocks on charities’ pages as talks began.
But it said: ‘The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers. It has left us facing 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.
‘With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter.’
The blackout came despite concern over the spread of claims and conspiracies which scientists fear could cost lives and prolong the pandemic.
Facebook has been a big part of the UK government’s £100million health information advertising campaign.
Social media experts said there was no immediate risk of a blackout here thanks to a recent Facebook News deal with British media outlets. However, Sky News UK and Daily Telegraph Facebook pages were temporarily suspended, with industry experts suggesting it could be linked to what is happening in Australia.