News
Facebook blocks Australians from accessing news
Courtesy of ICRT
Facebook has announced it has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing news on the platform following proposed laws in the country to make digital giants pay for journalism.
The company said on Thursday in a statement that Australian publishers can continue to publish news content on Facebook, but links and posts cannot be viewed or shared by Australian audiences.
Australian users cannot share Australian or international news.
International users outside also cannot share Australian news.
The Australian Parliament is debating proposed laws that would make Google and Facebook make deals to pay for Australian news.
A Facebook representative said, “The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content.”
He added, “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.”
