Wow! Just when you think Big Tech has already gone too far and overstepped boundaries, they take it to a whole new level.

This week, Facebook decided to ban news sharing from major news outlets in Australia.

Facebook announced Thursday it has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing news on the platform because of proposed laws in the country to make digital giants pay for journalism. Australian publishers can continue to publish news content on Facebook, but links and posts can’t be viewed or shared by Australian audiences, the U.S.-based company said in a statement.

Australian users cannot share Australian or international news. International users outside Australia also cannot share Australian news.

“The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content,” Facebook regional managing director William Easton said.

“It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia. With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter,” Easton added.

I sware that if I didn’t know any better, I would think that Facebook is trying to force governments around the world to impose some regulations on their companies.

This is only the latest blatant attempt at censorship by the tech giant. As you already know, they’ve been attacking conservatives for years in America and even the President himself (Trump).

These actions now are a response to Australia put forth a bill that would force internet giants to pay news publishers. They don’t like that idea so they’re trying to fight back, and it’s not going to be pretty.

The Prime Minister of Australia released a statement saying,

Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing. I am in regular contact with the leaders of other nations on these issues.

These actions will only confirm the concerns that an increasing number of countries are expressing about the behaviour of BigTech companies who think they are bigger than governments and that the rules should not apply to them. They may be changing the world, but that doesn’t mean they run it.

We will not be intimidated by BigTech seeking to pressure our Parliament as it votes on our important News Media Bargaining Code. Just as we weren’t intimidated when Amazon threatened to leave the country and when Australia drew other nations together to combat the publishing of terrorist content on social media platforms.

I encourage Facebook to constructively work with the Australian Government, as Google recently demonstrated in good faith.

Sources:
CBS News