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Facebook's decision to completely block news articles for Australian users is causing heated discussions.
Because of a planned media law that will oblige Facebook and other digital platforms to conclude fee-based licenses for the use of journalistic content, the social network pulled the plug on all providers of news content on Wednesday night.
The publishers there were caught off guard by the move - even if the threat was already in the room.
A comment in the newspaper "The Age" sought a radical comparison: Facebook had used "its nuclear option".
In other words: the content of the media on the platform has been erased.
The Facebook pages could no longer be reached by the authorities
The Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, whose government pushed the legislation, described Facebook's decision as "as disappointing as it is arrogant".
Big tech companies now believed that "they were more important than governments."
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While Facebook is trying to position its users against the regulation, the Australian premier sees Facebook's blocking tactics as confirmation of the platform's excessive market power - and thus also as confirmation of its own policy.
Morrison's criticism is reinforced by Facebook's quick action - because it meant that the Facebook pages could no longer be reached by authorities.
According to media reports, in addition to the police and fire brigade, the weather service, which is extremely important for the population of the continent, should also have counted.
The effect that, when content is filtered, offers are blocked without further ado that should not be affected, is referred to as "overblocking".
People have been cut off from important information, criticized the human rights organization Human Rights Watch.
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Even former Australian Facebook boss Stephen Scheeler has condemned his former employer's decision.
The Australian citizens should be "alarmed", without serious media content on the platform, there is a risk of disinformation in the network.
Facebook's decision could have serious consequences for democracy.
Did Scheeler overestimate the importance of Facebook for democracy?
Above all, it becomes clear that the blocking of media content could become a strategic boomerang for Facebook.
"After the market power, the mega-platforms are now also playing to their political power," said Dietmar Wolff, General Manager of the German Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV), commenting on Facebook's approach.
It is highly problematic that a platform the size of Facebook switches off pages "at will" in order to build up political pressure.
In Australia, Facebook shows "its true face".
Wolff demanded "that governments all over the world limit the market power of gatekeeper platforms".
"Facebook is profiting from the corona pandemic"
Facebook was able to increase sales by 33 percent in the fourth quarter to just under 28 billion US dollars.
Apple was also able to earn even more money despite the corona crisis.
Dietmar talks to market expert Andreas Lipkow about the good numbers.
Source: WORLD