Facebook and Instagram threaten to prevent Australians from sharing local and international news on proposed law

Facebook has threatened to block Australian editors and users from sharing local and international news on its platform and Instagram.

The social media giant wrote to the NZ Herald today that it will “reluctantly withdraw the ability of publishers and individuals in Australia to distribute news on Facebook and Instagram” in response to the proposed legislation.

The Australian government wants to introduce a law that aims for Facebook and internet giant Google to financially compensate publishers for the content and value they bring to global platforms.

Google has also raised issues with the Australian government’s proposal, saying it would see a “dramatically worse” search engine and a YouTube product (owned by Google) provided to Downunder consumers.

In Facebook’s email to the Herald, Rep. Andrew Hunter said the potential law has “many serious flaws” and misinterprets the relationship between the media and social media.

“Assuming this bill becomes law, we will reluctantly withdraw the ability for publishers and individuals in Australia to distribute news on Facebook and Instagram. This is not our first choice, it is our last. We would support regulation that really works. long-term interests of Australian consumers, “he said.

In a statement also posted online yesterday, Will Easton, managing director of Facebook Australia and New Zealand, said the proposed regulation misinterprets “the dynamics of the Internet and will harm the very news organizations the government is trying to protect.”

Easton said that preventing Australians from sharing news articles “is the only way” to guard against an outcome that “defies logic and will harm, not help” the long-term vitality of Australia’s news and media sector.

Despite this, he said that Facebook shares the Australian government’s goal of supporting news organizations, particularly local newspapers.

“But his solution is counterproductive to that goal. The proposed law is unprecedented in its scope and seeks to regulate all aspects of how technology companies do business with news publishers.”

Easton added that it was “extremely puzzling” that the law “required” Facebook to pay news organizations for content that publishers voluntarily upload to their platforms.

He said it would also be at “a price that ignores the financial value we bring to publishers.”

“The [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission] It assumes that Facebook benefits more from its relationship with publishers, when in fact the opposite is the case. The news represents a fraction of what people see in their News Feed and is not a significant source of income for us. “

Easton said that during the first five months of 2020 the US company “sent 2.3 billion clicks from Facebook’s News Feed to Australian news websites” at no charge.

This additional traffic was worth around AU $ 200 million to Australian publishers, he said.

Despite the threat to ban Australians from sharing news, Easton said Facebook still recognizes that news “plays a vital role in society and democracy.”

“We also hoped to bring Facebook News to Australia, a feature of our platform exclusively for news, where we pay publishers for their content.”

Last October, Facebook introduced a separate news section in the US, which pays some publishers for content and has plans to expand the feature to other parts of the world.

“But these proposals were overlooked,” Easton said. “Instead, we are left with the option of removing the news entirely or accepting a system that allows publishers to charge us for all the content they want at a price without clear limits. Unfortunately, no company can operate that way.”

Facebook’s products and services in Australia that allow family and friends to connect will not be affected by its decision, Easton said.

“Our global commitment to quality news around the world will not change either. And we will continue to work with governments and regulators who remain steadfast in the fire,” he added.

“But successful regulation, like the best journalism, will be based and based on facts. In this case, it is not.”

Those comments come as Facebook faces strong criticism around the world for allowing the spread of Covid-19 conspiracy theories, hate speech, and fake news and political speech.

The company and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg came under fire in New Zealand after the company allowed last year’s Christchurch terror attack to be choreographed for Facebook Live.

It has also ignored criticism from regulators and privacy experts this year, while more than 500 companies launched an advertising boycott aimed at pressuring Facebook to take a stronger stand against hate speech.

New Zealand media company Stuff was a local company that ditched the use of Facebook and Instagram in ongoing testing this year.