Juan J. Monroe 
Facebook and Google plan to remove all news from their Australian platforms, instead paying news agencies for their stories.
A report titled “Tech-xit” from the Center for Responsible Technology at the Australia Institute described that Facebook and Google are “likely” to remove news articles from their platforms in Australia.
It comes amid the introduction of a new code by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that requires tech companies to pay publishers for the information they use.
Facebook Chief Executive Will Easton said in September that the plan to remove all reporting from the Australian version of the platform was “not our first choice”.
“Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and Australians to share local and international news on Facebook and Instagram,” He continued.
In response, the “Tech-xit” report highlighted how the move could lead to further spread of misinformation. The report stated: “The biggest concern with deleting news on Facebook is that it would worsen an already questionable information environment. Mis/disinformation would be widespread and lack the balance of accurate news to counter it.
Australia will therefore have to produce its own media.
Sure beats reality TV.
Ah! If we have A$1.5 trillion or A$2 trillion superannuation, that means we could buy Fox News, Facebook and Google.
Hmmm! own the competitors………why not?
— [email protected] (@ken1007tpgcoma1) October 19, 2020
The report also highlighted the negative impact this removal would have on small publishers and digital-only publications. The Australia Institute’s Center for Responsible Technology documented that 30% of Australians use Facebook as their primary means of information and said there was cause for concern whether these people would find other trusted sources to access this information.
The report brought to light that although deleting news on Facebook would result in “some disturbances at the beginning”, readers were likely to adapt and access information directly from publishers, much like when a similar problem arose in Spain.
Google has yet to confirm whether it will remove news stories from its platform across Australia; however, the chief executive, Mel Silva, has threatened that these new laws “would jeopardize the free services you use in Australia”. In response to this, the “Tech-xit” The report recommended that the federal government focus on creating stronger consumer data privacy laws and limit its reliance on a single tech company, suggesting that the ABC be used as a “national social platform”.
Yes, that would require a fundamental overhaul of the national broadcaster and its charter, but that may be what is needed if we are truly to tackle our unhealthy addiction to a social platform that seems designed to divide, distract and deform.
— PeterLewisEMC (@PeterLewisEMC) October 18, 2020
The director of the Center for Responsible Technology, Peter Lewis, said that the people of Australia should be prepared to live in a world that is not hosted by multi-million dollar companies such as Google and Facebook: “Whether they follow through on their threats or not, it is incumbent on all Australians to ensure that we are not in a position where we are held hostage by their business interests.”
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