Facebook threatens ban on Australians sharing news posts

Proposed overhaul will do damage to news organisations the government is trying to protect: Facebook

SYDNEY (AFP) - Facebook threatened Tuesday to block users and media organisations in Australia from sharing news stories if a government plan to force digital giants to pay for content goes ahead.

Australians would be stopped from posting both local and international news stories on Facebook and Instagram, the company said, claiming the move was "not our first choice" but the "only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic".

In one of the most aggressive moves by any government to curb the power of the US digital giants, the Australian government has drawn up legislation to force Facebook and Google to pay struggling local news organisations for content or face millions of dollars in fines.

The measures would also force transparency around the closely guarded algorithms that tech firms use to rank content.

Facebook Australia and New Zealand managing director Will Easton said the proposed overhaul "misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do damage to the very news organisations the government is trying to protect".

"Most perplexing, it would force Facebook to pay news organisations for content that the publishers voluntarily place on our platforms and at a price that ignores the financial value we bring publishers," he said in a statement.

He also accused the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which is drafting the regulations, of having "ignored important facts" during a consultation process that ended Monday.

The ACCC presumes that Facebook benefits most in its relationship with publishers, when in fact the reverse is true," he said.

"News represents a fraction of what people see in their News Feed and is not a significant source of revenue for us."

Easton said Facebook sent 2.3 billion clicks to Australian news websites in the first five months of 2020 at an estimated value of Aus$200 million (US$148 million) and had been preparing to bring Facebook News to Australia -- a feature launched in the US last year where the tech giant pays publishers for news.

"Instead, we are left with a choice of either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits," he added.

"Unfortunately, no business can operate that way."

Google has also campaigned forcefully against the proposed changes, creating pop-ups on the search engine warning "the way Aussies use Google is at risk" and urging YouTubers around the world to complain to Australian authorities.

The legislation will initially focus on Facebook and Google -- two of the world’s richest and most powerful companies -- but could eventually apply to any digital platform.

It has strong support from local media outlets and is expected to be introduced this year.