CANBERRA – Facebook has blocked Australian users from sharing or viewing news content on the platform, causing much alarm over public access to key information.
Facebook pages of all local and global news sites were unavailable on Thursday.
Furthermore, several government health, emergency and other pages were also blocked – something the tech giant asserted that it was a mistake.
Those outside of Australia were also unable to read or access any news publications on the platform.
The Australian government has strongly criticized the move, saying it demonstrated the “immense market power of these digital social giants”.
Facebook’s move is in response to a proposed law in Australia which would make tech giants pay for news content.(BBC)
