The social media giant Facebook is blocking all media content in Australia because of a dispute with the government over paying for content.
The move represents a split between Facebook and search giant Google Inc which had joined to campaign against the law and had both warned they could cancel services in Australia because of looming laws that will force them to pay local publishers for content.
Users on Twitter have reported that the pages of agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia, and Queensland Health have no posts available.
Facebook’s news ban is the result of a proposed Australian law that would require tech companies to pay Australian news publishers for use of their content.
Australian users of the social network will no longer be able to access any news posts, whether it’s from the country or international, and Australian news publishers will no longer be allowed to post on their Pages.
Facebook said in its statement that the law, which is expected to be passed by parliament within days, “fundamentally misunderstands” the relationship between itself and publishers and it faced a stark choice of attempting to comply or banning news content.
