Australia has news blocked by Facebook
FACEBOOK has blocked Australians from sharing news in a stunning act of retaliation against government moves to make the social media giant pay for Australian journalism.
The move was seen as a milestone in the increasingly frantic jockeying between governments, media and powerful tech companies that one Australian minister called “an assault on a sovereign nation” and abuse of power. Australia’s government condemned the decision, which also prevented the sharing of some government communications – including messages about emergency services – as well as some commercial pages.
The digital platforms fear that what is happening in Australia will become an expensive precedent that larger countries will follow. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Facebook had taken the drastic action because Canberra’s House of Representatives passed legislation
that would make Facebook and Google pay for Australian journalism. The legislation needs to be passed by the Senate before it becomes law.
Australian news organisations could not post stories and people who tried to share existing news stories received notifications saying they were blocked from doing so. “This post can’t be shared,” the website said. “In response to Australian government legislation, Facebook restricts the posting of news links and all posts from news pages in Australia. Globally, the posting and sharing of news links from Australian publications is restricted.”
Mr Frydenberg, who said he was given no warning before Facebook acted, added: “Facebook’s actions were unnecessary, they were heavyhanded and they will damage its reputation here in Australia.” Prime Minister Scott Morrison later hit out on his own Facebook page, using Facebook jargon. “Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing,” Mr Morrison posted.
“These actions will only confirm the concerns that an increasing number of countries are expressing about the behavior of BigTech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them.
“They may be changing the world, but that doesn’t mean they run it,” he added.
“We will not be intimidated by BigTech seeking to pressure our Parliament.”
Facebook said the proposed Australian law “fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it”.
“This is an assault on a sovereign nation,” Health Minster Greg Hunt told Parliament. “It is an assault on people’s freedom and, in particular, it’s an utter abuse of big technologies’ market power and control over technology.”
Both Google and Facebook have threatened retaliation if Australia created the law, which the government contends will ensure media businesses receive fair payment for their journalism being linked on those platforms. Australia’s proposal requires a negotiation safety net through an arbitration panel.