The Where s William Tyrrell? Bring Him Home - Official page was taken down
Vital emergency services have been caught in crossfire of Facebook news ban
Official accounts for Queensland, SA and ACT Health pages stripped of content
Posts from the Bureau of Meteorology and helpline 1800Respect also removed
SA Health Minister slammed giant for blocking vital information in a pandemic
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Australia not intimidated by Facebook news ban
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said his government will not be intimidated by Facebook blocking news feeds to users.
He described the move to unfriend Australia as arrogant and disappointing.
Facebook is responding to a proposed law which would make tech giants pay for news content on their platforms.
Australians on Thursday woke up to find that Facebook pages of all local and global news sites were unavailable.
People outside the country are also unable to read or access any Australian news publications on the platform.
Several government health and emergency pages were also blocked. Facebook later asserted this was a mistake and many of these pages are now back online.
Facebookâs New Look in Australia: News and Hospitals Out, Aliens Still In
The social networkâs decision to block journalism rather than pay for it erased more than expected, leaving many outraged and debating what should happen next.
Facebook eliminated not just Australian news content, but also pages for government agencies, nonprofits and political candidates.Credit.Saeed Khan/Agence France-Presse Getty Images
Published Feb. 18, 2021Updated Feb. 22, 2021
SYDNEY, Australia â A digitally savvy nation woke up Thursday to a shock on Facebook: The news was gone.
The social media giant had decided to block journalism in Australia rather than pay the companies that produce it under legislation now before Parliament, angering a country of arguers who had grown used to Facebook as a regular forum for politics or culture.
Facebook blocked Aussies from reading and sharing local news on Thursday
Emergency services and domestic violence helpline pages were also removed
Simon Milner, head of policy in the Asia-Pacific, said it is not Facebook s fault
Mr Milner didn t comment on whether algorithm tests had been undertaken
He admitted some vital pages had been inadvertently caught up in the ban