Facebook Blocks All News Content in Australia & Web Traffic Dropped Drastically

Where do you get your news from?

If you’re reading this article, your answer will probably be Goody Feed, which will make my boss very happy.

But while some people get their news directly from media outlets, most get news content from links shared on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Over the years, several countries have expressed their disapproval of this arrangement, one of which is Australia.

Why? Well, simply put, the Australian government believes companies like Google and Facebook should pay local media outlets a “fair” amount for their journalism.

That’s why Australia proposed a new law last year which would force the tech giants to pay royalties for news content shared on its platform.

And Facebook hasn’t exactly reacted kindly to this.

Facebook Blocks All News Content in Australia & Web Traffic Dropped Drastically

Yesterday (18 Feb), something odd happened to residents across Australia.

Facebook users suddenly discovered they couldn’t view or share content by news sites from Australia or overseas.

Users outside Australia were also barred from viewing or sharing content from Australian news sites.

We later learned that Facebook had intentionally blocked news sites in Australia, in what many viewed as a hostile response to the looming royalties law.

Users were barred not only from sharing news content but from reading it on its platform too.

As a result, total web traffic to Australian news sites dropped by around 13%, and publishers took a hit.

Traffic from Facebook fell from around 21% to about 2%, but overall Australian traffic did not shift to other platforms after the ban, according to Chartbeat data.

The New York-based analytics firm said international users were affected as well, as total traffic to Australian news sites from various platforms used outside the country fell by about 30%.

While traffic from Google to news sites rose, it was outweighed by the drop in Facebook traffic.

Ban Accidentally Blocked Emergency Services Pages

As you’d expect, Facebook’s ban sparked a public backlash, especially since it inadvertently blocked content from non-news sites such as emergency services pages and the official weather bureau.

Health experts also criticised the ban as it blocked hospital and medical sites as well, just days before Australia begins its mass Covid-19 vaccination drive.

The ban even removed content from some members of Parliament in Australia, with one commenting: “They’re behaving more like North Korea than an American company.”

Facebook later said it would reverse any bans which it had imposed “inadvertently”.

But why are they doing this?

Scared It Would Set a Precedent?

Some believe that this ban by Facebook, which has also been threatened by Google, shows that social media companies are worried about the proposed law.

Australia isn’t exactly Facebook’s biggest market, but the fear is that the law, if passed, would set a precedent for other countries.

And if more countries follow suit, companies like Facebook and Google could lose a lot of money indeed.

They would have to make financial arrangements with news companies before sharing articles on their platform.

Right now, social media companies are making a lot more off advertising revenue than the publishers themselves.

According to the BBC, of every A$100 spent on digital advertising, A$81 goes to Google and Facebook.

Consequently, newsrooms have to cut down on their digital advertising expenses, while others have had to close for good.

According to CNN, more than 200 newsrooms across Australia have shuttered temporarily, closed down permanently, or reduced its service since Jan 2019.

While users may be able to live without Facebook, using the Internet without Google may be an impossible task, and that’s exactly what could happen if Google follows Facebook’s example.

Featured Image: mundissima / Shutterstock.com