The Technology 202: Facebook s ban on Australian news triggers greater scrutiny of its vast power Cat Zakrzewski
with Aaron Schaffer Facebook’s decision to block the posting and sharing of Australian news highlights the platform s vast influence over the media industry, raising the stakes in global regulators’ efforts to address its power. The social network yesterday announced it would prevent users in Australia from viewing or sharing links to news articles, and also prohibit Australian news outlets from sharing news on their Facebook pages. Facebook s brute force tactics come as it fights a proposed Australian law to force tech giants to pay for the platform to link to their news articles, which tech giants fear could become a precedent for other similar regulation around the globe.