“The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the
relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news
content,” Facebook said in a blog post announcing the move.
“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.”
Australia is trying to get technology companies, including
Facebook and Google, to pay for the news that is widely shared on their sites,
as the advertising revenue that once supported publishers evaporates. The law
would force them to strike deals with media companies or have fees set for
them.
Google has threatened to withdraw its search services from
Australia, but at the same time has also started to secure agreements on
revenue-sharing with publishers.
Facebook insists its relationship with the news industry is
fundamentally different.
“Publishers willingly choose to post news on Facebook, as it
allows them to sell more subscriptions, grow their audiences and increase
advertising revenue,” it said, noting that in 2020 the platform generated 5.1
billion referrals that earned about 407 million Australian dollars ($315m) for
the publishers.
The platform claimed that what it described as a “value
exchange” worked in favour of the publishers.
Facebook’s sudden move to block news content sparked outrage,
as some government and emergency response pages, including health authorities,
fire services and the police also went dark. Facebook’s own page was also
affected.
Australia Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who earlier said he had
had a “constructive discussion” with Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark
Zuckerberg on the law, condemned the platform’s move.
“Facebook was wrong,” he told reporters. “Facebook’s actions
were unnecessary, they were heavy-handed, and they will damage its reputation
here in Australia.”
‘Bare-knuckled approach’
Facebook-watchers and media analysts accused the company,
which made a net profit of $29.2bn in 2020, of bullying.
“Facebook’s actions today can best be understood as an
aggressive lobbying effort,” American journalist Judd Legum wrote on Twitter.
“It’s showing the Australian government it’s willing to follow through with the
ban. Tough to square this bare-knuckled approach with the company’s supposed
commitment to free speech.”
You can still access information by heading to their websites directly or visiting them here on Twitter.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) February 17, 2021
For those in Queensland and WA, please stay safe today.
For anyone in need of support, help is still available 24/7 by calling 1800RESPECT or webchat at https://t.co/cxHE4GsoX8
— Gabrielle Williams MP (@GabbyWilliamsMP) February 17, 2021
Marcus Strom, the president of the MEAA, the union for
people who work in Australian media, says Facebook probably fears other
countries might adopt similar laws.
“This not just about Australia,” he told Al Jazeera. “They
are worried about a global precedent. “This is a classic monopoly move by a
powerful company trying to dictate what society does when in a democratic
society it’s civil society that needs to determine how tech companies operate.”
Google, meanwhile, has secured deals with publishers in the
United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil and Argentina for its Google News
Showcase product, and on Wednesday reached a landmark global deal with Rupert
Murdoch’s News Corp, owner of the Wall Street Journal and two-thirds of
Australia’s major city newspapers, to develop a subscription platform and share
advertising revenue. News Corp has also come under fire in Australia for its
domination of the news industry.
Emily Bell, the director of the Tow Center for Digital
Journalism at Columbia Journalism School, said Facebook’s claim that it is a
voluntary platform where news publishers willingly share their content
“mischaracterises” the relationship.
“Most publishers feel obliged to be on Facebook,” she wrote,
referring to five years of non-platform funded research undertaken by the
centre. “They don’t like the asymmetry of the relationship, they dislike the
requirement of going through an intermediary without access to even negligible
data.”
(2/3) This is the impact on Australia, but we already see the global impact on facts and democracy https://t.co/ArrD9aXJSe #CourageON #DefendPressFreedom #HoldTheLine
— Maria Ressa (@mariaressa) February 18, 2021
Remember when Facebook allowed the Christchurch massacre to be streamed for a full 29 minutes?
— Max Walden (@maxwalden_) February 18, 2021
Facebook, which has long been criticised for allowing
misinformation to flourish on its platforms, now finds itself blocking the news
media that provided a fact-check on false information.
“Nobody benefits from this decision as Facebook will now be
a platform for misinformation to rapidly spread without balance,” said a
spokesman for Nine, an Australian television network. “This action proves again
their monopoly position and unreasonable behaviour.”
Agencies