In a new age where social media platforms have become primary sources of news and information for many digital consumers, Big Tech companies wield unprecedented social and political power. (Flickr Creative Commons)

In a sweeping move on February 17, Facebook decided to block all Australian users from accessing and sharing news sites and government communications on the social media platform. This move was in response to a recent bill passed by the Australian House of Representatives requiring Facebook and Google to pay to feature news articles. Though the bill has not yet passed the Senate, this preemptive retaliatory act by Facebook is being widely condemned by Australian politicians. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison took to the very platform he denounced to express his displeasure.

“Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing,” Morrison wrote on his Facebook account. “We will not be intimidated by Big Tech seeking to pressure our Parliament.” His colleague Health Minister Greg Hunt echoed similar sentiments during his address to the Parliament, calling Facebook’s move “an assault on a sovereign nation.”

The Feud, in 100 Words

Australian Prime Minister denounces Facebook’s ban on...Facebook. (Facebook, Scott Morrison)

The dispute between Australia and Facebook began when the Australian government introduced the News Media Bargaining Code to Parliament on December 9, 2020. If made into law, this legislation would require Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. and Facebook to work out commercial deals with Australian news publishers independently or confront “compulsory arbitration.” Tensions escalated when the bill passed in the House with relative ease, and analyses predicted a similar reception in the Senate. In response, Facebook abruptly blocked all access to foreign and domestic news sources for Australian users. This included government-issued emergency messaging services related to local wildfire and flood warnings.

Whom To Blame?

Though this sudden news ban has upset many Australians, the blame for this standoff is being shifted among the Australian populace. Some Australians point to this ban as an example of large social media companies gaining excessive political and economic power, so much so that they are able to restrict many individuals from accessing one of their main news sources to pressure governments against passing legislation unfavorable to them. Within government ranks, Australia’s federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg stated what the ban “[does] confirm for all Australians is the immense market power of these digital giants,” while Minister Hunt claimed that the recent events are an “utter abuse of big technologies’ market power and control over technology.” Those outside of the Australian government also voiced their alarm and disappointment, citing their blanket ban on public service announcements, state health department pages, and NGOs’ messages as irresponsible and harmful. “It’s really worrying,” Elizabeth Pearson of Human Rights Watch’s Australia office told the New York Times, “when you see the huge amount of power wielded by a private company.”

Other Australians are directing their anger at the Australian government and media companies more generally. “We are victims of an Australian Government which acts as a lap dog for the Murdoch media who in turn have companies like The Guardian trailing in their wake,” wrote one New York Times reader in response to the company’s call for constituents’ opinions on the New York Times Australia’s newly established Facebook group, “It’s the consumer who is being done over.” Another accused the Australian government of being “out of touch” and expressed their concern for the precedent this feud may set for other Big Tech companies and governments worldwide.

Additionally, many have noticed this ban went into effect around the same time Australia announced its plans to launch a nation-wide vaccination communication campaign. While Morrison reiterated that the government intends to use all its available resources to sustain this campaign, it is unclear whether this disagreement will be resolved before the campaign’s launch and if vaccination public service announcements will be widely accessible for Australian users by the time the government begins its vaccination roll-out in earnest.

Friend Me Maybe?

Following an instant uproar within Australia and abroad (Virginia Senator Mark Warner called the ban “an unacceptable bullying tactic”), Morrison announced on February 19 that Facebook has “tentatively friended” Australia by returning to the negotiating table. As of last night, Facebook announced it will be reversing its ban on Australian news sites. However, the government has also stated it intends to make amendments to the news bargaining code to address the core concerns of Facebook. Despite the government emerging “victorious” from the feud, it has certainly set an international precedent for the future trajectory of Big Tech regulations. As Canada and the European Union begin discussing similar legislation, the outcome of the Australian Facebook feud of 2021 is likely to influence how (or if) Big Tech companies will be regulated around the globe.