London:
Facebook’s move to block all media content in Australia shows why nations about the globe have to have robust regulation to quit tech giants behaving like a “school yard bully”, the head of the UK’s news media trade group stated.
News Media Association chairman Henry Faure Walker stated Facebook’s ban through a worldwide pandemic was “a classic example of a monopoly power being the school yard bully, trying to protect its dominant position with scant regard for the citizens and customers it supposedly serves.”
“Facebook’s actions in Australia demonstrate precisely why we need jurisdictions across the globe, including the UK, to coordinate to deliver robust regulation to create a truly level playing between the tech giants and news publishers.”
The social media giant shocked Australia on Thursday when it blocked all media content from its platform in a spectacular escalation of a dispute with the government more than paying for content.
The move came following the government of Scott Morrison drafted a law to demand Facebook and Google to attain industrial offers with news outlets whose hyperlinks drive website traffic to their platforms, or be subjected to forced arbitration to agree a value.
The legislation, which is anticipated to be passed by the Australian parliament inside days, prompted Google to seal preemptive offers with various outlets in current days.
Facebook stated the law “fundamentally misunderstands” the connection involving itself and publishers and it faced a stark selection of complying or banning news content.
Facebook argues that the British media industry is unique, following it launched Facebook News via partnerships with publishers such as the Daily Mail group, Financial Times, Guardian and Telegraph.
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