Juan J. Monroe 
Copyright AFP 2017-2021. All rights reserved.
Social media posts circulating online in October 2021 share a screenshot of a post from Facebook saying that links to Australian news pages are “restricted.” The screenshot was shared in a misleading context: The posts refer to a temporary ban imposed by Facebook in February 2021 in response to Australian law. The ban was overturned less than a week later. A Facebook spokesperson told AFP that no such ban had been enacted as of October 2021.
This screenshot was shared in an Instagram post posted on October 5, 2021.
“They don’t want the world to know what’s going on in Australia,” the post’s caption read.
A screenshot of a Facebook post reads: “The way you share news is changing. In response to Australian government legislation, Facebook restricts the posting of news links and all postings from news pages in Australia. Globally, the posting and sharing of news links of Australian publications is restricted. “
Other instances of the screenshot appeared on Facebook here and here next to a similar request.
The messages circulated online after a Facebook outage affects billions of users October 4, 2021.
However, the screenshot was shared in a deceptive context.
Although the screenshot is genuine, it relates to an old restriction imposed by Facebook.
On February 18, 2021, Facebook temporarily banned news links and posts from Australian news pages. The movement has been made in response to laws it would force tech giants to pay news companies for their content.
Facebook rescinded the ban less than a week later. The tech giant announced on February 23, he reinstated Australian news outlets following an agreement with the Australian government.
U-turn has been signaled here by AFP on February 23.
A Facebook spokesperson told AFP on October 6, 2021 that it “does not restrict any news publisher in Australia.”
