Skanky Vamp
Sniffin' the Slayer
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
- Messages
- 26,460
from cnn
What is Facebook without news? People and publishers in Australia are now finding out. Facebook (FB) has barred Australians from finding or sharing news on its service, a dramatic escalation of a fight with the government that may have wide-ranging consequences both in the country and around the world.
The social networking company on Wednesday said that people and publishers in Australia will no longer be able to share or see any news from local or international outlets. The decision appears to be the most restrictive move Facebook has ever taken against content publishers. The company's action comes after months of tension with the Australian government, which has proposed legislation that would force tech platforms to pay news publishers for content.
"What the proposed law introduced in Australia fails to recognize is the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers," Campbell Brown, Facebook's vice president of global news partnerships, wrote in a blog post. "Contrary to what some have suggested, Facebook does not steal news content. Publishers choose to share their stories on Facebook."
"I hope in the future, we can include news for people in Australia once again," Brown added.
The decision effectively makes good on a threat Facebook made during a hearing in Australia's senate last month, when the company suggested it could block content in the country if the bill becomes law.
The news ban has already been met with confusion and criticism in the country. Fire and emergency services, domestic violence charities, state health agencies and other organizations said they were also affected by the restrictions, prompting outrage among those who said Facebook was restricting access to vital information. In response, the company has said it will reverse pages "inadvertently impacted" by its move. "These actions will only confirm the concerns that an increasing number of countries are expressing about the behaviour of Big Tech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them," wrote Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a post on his own Facebook page, which did not appear to have been affected by the restrictions. "They may be changing the world, but that doesn't mean they run it."
Officials said the move came without prior warning from the company.
What is Facebook without news? People and publishers in Australia are now finding out. Facebook (FB) has barred Australians from finding or sharing news on its service, a dramatic escalation of a fight with the government that may have wide-ranging consequences both in the country and around the world.
The social networking company on Wednesday said that people and publishers in Australia will no longer be able to share or see any news from local or international outlets. The decision appears to be the most restrictive move Facebook has ever taken against content publishers. The company's action comes after months of tension with the Australian government, which has proposed legislation that would force tech platforms to pay news publishers for content.
"What the proposed law introduced in Australia fails to recognize is the fundamental nature of the relationship between our platform and publishers," Campbell Brown, Facebook's vice president of global news partnerships, wrote in a blog post. "Contrary to what some have suggested, Facebook does not steal news content. Publishers choose to share their stories on Facebook."
"I hope in the future, we can include news for people in Australia once again," Brown added.
The decision effectively makes good on a threat Facebook made during a hearing in Australia's senate last month, when the company suggested it could block content in the country if the bill becomes law.
The news ban has already been met with confusion and criticism in the country. Fire and emergency services, domestic violence charities, state health agencies and other organizations said they were also affected by the restrictions, prompting outrage among those who said Facebook was restricting access to vital information. In response, the company has said it will reverse pages "inadvertently impacted" by its move. "These actions will only confirm the concerns that an increasing number of countries are expressing about the behaviour of Big Tech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them," wrote Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a post on his own Facebook page, which did not appear to have been affected by the restrictions. "They may be changing the world, but that doesn't mean they run it."
Officials said the move came without prior warning from the company.
ILLYRIAN
Now if I could give an angry smiley to CNN I would.
