Australians cannot access press vehicle pages on social media Facebook's decision to block news for Australia highlights the power that the American technology giant has and raises questions about the impact of the measure. Since Thursday, Australians have not been able to post links to news articles, or view Facebook pages for local or international vehicles, rejecting a bill for the social network to pay for such content. This unprecedented decision raises new questions about the future of the platform used by about 2 billion people and its relationship with the press. Although Facebook is not a press agency, it is a source of information used by millions of people worldwide. This decision "is a brutal reminder of Facebook's power," said Kjerstin Thorson, a professor at Michigan State University. "The idea that a single touch of a switch can turn off civic infrastructure is a red flag," she added. Thorson noted that Facebook's action may deprive users of "high-quality information", but "it does not eliminate people's desire to know what's going on," leading to rumors, conspiracy theories and misinformation. Ken Paulson, a former editor-in-chief of USA Today and current professor at Middle Tennessee State University, said the social network could erode confidence in information if it generalized the block. "Facebook without real news would be the fantasy of conspiracy theorists," he pointed out.
Facebook "does not steal" Facebook's decision is a response to the Australian bill to have the social network pay the press to use its content. Through the Facebook Journalism Project, the Californian giant invests in the information world in several countries, but seeks to avoid a mandatory payment system for sharing links from the printed media on its platform. "Contrary to what many suggest,
Facebook does not steal news content
Publishers choose to share their articles on Facebook," said Campbell Brown, responsible for the platform's partnerships with the press. "From finding new readers to gaining new subscribers and generating revenue, news organizations wouldn't use Facebook if it didn't help their bottom line," he added. However, the media industry, which is experiencing financial difficulties, claims to be a victim of Google and Facebook, which capture most of the global revenue from online advertising. "Most of the media does not benefit significantly from Facebook links," said Paulson. In fact, this imbalance appears to have increased during the pandemic. And it reinforces the need for a new system that supports the media, whose information is fundamental to the long-term success of digital giants, according to analysts. "I don't think this problem will be solved through government regulation," said Thorson. Google also threatened to suspend its services in Australia, but reached an agreement with the media industry, including the News Corp. by Rupert Murdoch, which includes The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The Times, The Sun, The Australian. If it now appears that Facebook won the game in its dispute with Australian authorities, Oxford University researcher Chris Moss argues that the social media giant will lose its appeal if it stops using information content for a long time. "It would be impossible to imagine that Facebook (and WhatsApp) would maintain (its) popularity without content" from the media, said Moos. "Media organizations and Facebook need each other. Both parties are interested in collaborating and reaching agreements," he added. Paulson estimated that it is still unclear whether Facebook will suffer from the lack of news, so Australia will be a test. "If people just go to Facebook looking for social experiences and pictures of cats, (the social network) will not be under financial pressure," he explained.