Facebook Australia: Tech giant faces growing criticism over news ban

[ritcha gataga]

Facebook is facing mounting criticism after it blocked news content in Australia amid a dispute with the government over a planned law.

The law will force tech giants to pay for news content on their platforms.

Facebook says the legislation "fundamentally misunderstands" its relationship with publishers.

But politicians, publishers and rights groups in several countries have accused it of bullying, and raised concerns over access to information.

Under Facebook's new rules, Australian users are blocked from viewing and sharing local and international news, while local publishers are restricted from sharing or posting any links on their pages.Several government health and emergency pages were also blocked, but Facebook later said this was a mistake and many of these pages are now back online.

Who has criticised the move?
In a statement posted on Facebook, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the social media company's actions to "unfriend Australia" were "as arrogant as they were disappointing".

He added that he was in "regular contact with the leaders of other nations" over the issue and would not be "intimidated".

Mr Morrison later raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he sought to gain international support, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Other Australian officials have also criticised the move. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the ban on news information had a "huge community impact". About 17 million Australians visit the social media site every month. It is the most important social platform for news in the country.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan accused Facebook of "behaving like a North Korean dictator".

Others suggested that a news vacuum could be filled by misinformation and conspiracy theories.

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