Facebook bans all news feeds in Australia

Facebook has chosen to block all Australian and international news from its Australian users’ feeds as the company steps up its opposition to proposed new laws that would require tech companies to pay for the journalism they post. “The proposed law fundamentally ignores the relationship between our platforms and the publishers who use it to share news content,” William Easton, director of Facebook Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement this morning.

“Google search is inextricably linked with news and publishers don’t volunteer their content. On the other hand, publishers readily choose to post news on Facebook because it allows them to sell more subscriptions, expand their audience, and increase ad revenue. “

Unfortunately, Facebook’s summary removal of news from Australian feeds resulted in the removal of a large number of non-press organizations, including emergency services, government health services, various charities, satirical comedy websites, video game publishers and even a host of international organizations. sports teams.

Some blocked feeds have since been restored by Facebook (including Fire & Rescue NSW and the Western Australia Fire & Emergency Services Department), but many remain inaccessible, from the non-profit Bowel Cancer Australia to EA through… the Denver Broncos.

A slew of non-press organizations have been ignored by Facebook in Australia, from charities to comedy sites, from video game publishers to random sports teams.

For its part, the Australian government is reportedly moving forward with the legislation, which is expected to be passed in the Senate next week.

“Facebook needs to think very carefully about what this means for its reputation and reputation,” Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said. ABC.

“We will argue that the position taken by Facebook means that the information people see on Facebook does not come from organizations with fact-checking capacity, from paid journalists, with editorial policies.”

Facebook claims to have generated around 5.1 billion referrals to Australian publishers last year, a figure it says is worth A $ 407 million. The Australian Tax Office’s most recent annual corporate tax transparency report says Facebook made more than A $ 582 million in revenue in 2018-2019, but reported only taxable income of A $ 51.4 million and paid only A $ 15.4 million in taxes. Facebook’s Australian operation has already come under scrutiny to reduce its taxable income by sending hundreds of millions of dollars to undisclosed foreign affiliates.

Luke is a game editor in the IGN Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.