Civil society groups are concerned Facebook’s news ban will undermine Australia’s democracy and thereby leave room for misinformation “to fill the void.” Meanwhile, a new voluntary code (pdf) to combat the spreading of disinformation was introduced by the Minister for Communications on Feb. 22. In an open letter published by Reset Australia on Feb. 18, which has garnered both local and international support, Facebook was urged to reverse its decision to block Australian news access. Facebook’s actions were in response to the Morrison government’s News Media Bargaining Code that, if passed, will see the social media tech company pay for Australian news content. “Facebook’s decision to take down content in Australia is an extreme, and nuclear option,” executive director of Reset Australia, Chris Cooper, said in a media release. “Facebook didn’t just wipe Australian news. It also silenced the voices of Australia’s civil society—from charities, unions, even political parties. This …
Civil society groups are concerned Facebook’s news ban will undermine Australia’s democracy and thereby leave room for misinformation “to fill the void.” Meanwhile, a new voluntary code (pdf) to combat the spreading of disinformation was introduced by the Minister for Communications on Feb. 22. In an open letter published by Reset Australia on Feb. 18,
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