Facebook news shutdown: ‘Assault’ an act of madness and self-harm

‘Facebook has not directly taken on the Australian government or media industry; it has cut off charities, communities, health advisory groups and hospitals.’ Picture: AFP

Facebook has committed an act of political madness and self harm.

It would be considered an act of cyber war if North Korea had cut off ­Australian websites including the Bureau of Meteorology, health departments, COVID-19 advisory services, help for domestic violence victims, children’s hospitals, fire and flood emergency warnings, an arm of the ABC and fire and rescue services.

Health Minister Greg Hunt did not overstate the potential damage of Facebook’s exercise of monopoly power in the name of profit when he described it as an “assault on a sovereign ­nation”. Former Labor leader Bill Shorten put it best when he said: “Facebook is a threat to pluralism and pluralism is the cornerstone of Labor values and our democratic society.”

Most of all, Facebook, in the middle of so-called negotiations over paying its way for content, as Google is doing, has been plain dumb. The tech giant has demonstrated it is not interested in “people over profit”, it’s prepared to be a monopolistic bully, it is reckless and considers itself more ­important than sovereign governments and their citizens.

What’s more, its brilliant political strategy to put pressure on Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison — as the proposal to make Facebook and others pay a fair price for content they steal goes to the Senate — unified the ­entire Australian polity at every level. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Hunt and Labor’s Jim Chalmers all used similar language to condemn the action. Uniting the Coalition, the Greens and the ALP against Facebook just as the bill is to be debated in the Senate demonstrates a breathtaking lack of political knowledge and skill.

Facebook has not directly taken on the Australian government or media industry; it has cut off charities, communities, health advisory groups and hospitals which it wants to hold hostage as it demands a ransom of legislative amendments to protect its profit. This is wrong on every count and has given the Morrison government the moral high ground. And I don’t care if they take me off Facebook.