Discussion

• @umabp Uma Patel on x

  ABC has used facebook's ban to prompt visitors to download its app.. it became the most downloaded app in Australia.... although the next four are all owned by Facebook and the 6th is a company fb tried to buy https://twitter.com/...

• @caseynewton Casey Newton on x

  A homegrown Australian news app is now No. 1 in the App Store. Features include: reverse-chronological feed; less misinformation than the leading brand; and the “stories” here don't disappear after 24 hours! I think it could have a chance .... https://twitter.com/...

• @chrismessina Chris Messina on x

  Facebook's @AppStore reviews are brutal. At least they seem to be pissing off people on both sides of the free speech/censorship debate. And most of Australia. 🇦🇺 /cc @mmasnick https://twitter.com/...

• @brooklynmarie Brooke Binkowski on x

  See, this is how @Facebook is choking off my industry worldwide. https://twitter.com/...

• @umabp Uma Patel on x

  *nb readers go directly to a website instead of being referred via a platform such as Facebook are more likely to become paying subscribers

• @neerajka Neeraj K. Agrawal on x

  this would be a good times for news sites to push RSS https://twitter.com/...

• @umabp Uma Patel on x

  Or will audiences just sub out of news entirely... my bet is that users will still need reliable information, especially right now, and will gravitate more towards checking a news site first thing in the morning instead of their Facebook feed

• @macotani Mac Otani on x

  Highly digital newsrooms that have resources and strong relationships with their audiences started moving away from Facebook a long time ago, and are less affected by its volatility. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @nathanblawrence Nathan Lawrence on x

  I don't think it's the web prompt so much as it is that the entire country now directly has to seek out news and this is the most universally applicable outlet. https://twitter.com/...

• @umabp Uma Patel on x

  It'll be really interesting to see how audience behaviours change in the next couple of months in Australia - will habits trend more towards checking news directly from news sites (instead of relying on their friends to refer them)...

• @brianboyer Brian Boyer on x

  Had a feeling this'd be an own goal. I'll bet TV news sees a spike too, and that both gains will sustain. https://twitter.com/...

• @rasmus_kleis Rasmus Kleis Nielsen on x

  Well played ABC. (Now stay tuned for the lobbying against public service media to resume.) https://twitter.com/...

• @cameronwilson @cameronwilson on x

  This is obviously good but, as with news traffic, I think the real test is in a month. Do people develop habits to seek out more news? Or do they forget about it when it's not in its feed https://twitter.com/...

• @dhh @dhh on x

  The internet is healing. https://www.theverge.com/...

• @umabp Uma Patel on x

  This article shows that even with the ban, there is still a bit of FB referral traffic coming through.... I would LOVE to peak inside some of the newsrooms and see how the volume of direct traffic changed immediately after the ban https://www.niemanlab.org/...

• @jeffjarvis Jeff Jarvis on x

  What about the PR problem of @Guardian — which came to Australia to be a guardian angel against the devil, Murdoch and raised money for that purpose — joining in league with Murdoch against the internet? https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

• @ketanj0 Ketan Joshi on x

  So: Facebook's nuclear-option has really badly distracted from something really serious and significant. Google has entered into an agreement to *pay cash* to spread Infowars-grade misinformation about climate and energy. My post -> https://reneweconomy.com.au/ ... And a quick 🧵.…

• @jamessurowiecki James Surowiecki on x

  No way to win. Facebook chooses not to pay. Google, doing exactly what the Australian government wants it to do, does pay, and yet they're still both wrong. https://twitter.com/...

• @yanisvaroufakis Yanis Varoufakis on x

  Big Tech's Australian powerplay proves we live in the era of Technofeudalism. To secure the right NOT to pay for journalists' output, FB banned all Aussie journalistic output while Google struck a deal with Murdoch to pay only his rightist news outlets https://www.rfi.fr/...

• @mattyglesias Matthew Yglesias on x

  To be clear: I have no view on the merits of any particular Facebook policy decision. I think Zuckerberg is a good guy and very smart and I wish he'd do the right thing and turn Facebook off. Failing that, everyone who works there should quit and go do something worthwhile. https…

• @mattyglesias Matthew Yglesias on x

  Maybe it's just me but I'm like a single-issue anti-Facebook extremist — I have no problem with “big tech” or “Silicon Valley” or anything else, just Facebook which is really bad.

• @mmasnick Mike Masnick on x

  I got tired of responding to every bad take regarding the Facebook Australia news on Twitter, and have now written a longer post about it. Just don't try to share it on FB in Australia. https://www.techdirt.com/...

• @jeffjarvis Jeff Jarvis on x

  Be careful what you lobby for. Be careful who you associate with — i.e., Murdoch. This is all Murdoch's fault. And, by the way, he doesn't suffer a bit because he owns half the media in Australia. He's helped if his competitors, old or new, suffer. Coincidence? No! https://twitte…

• @mattyglesias Matthew Yglesias on x

  I don't think “whatever side of a controversy Facebook is one is wrong” is a dishonest or hypocritical position — Facebook is just very bad! https://twitter.com/...

• @digiphile Alex Howard on x

  Taxing hyperlinks is dumb, & should be dragged & dropped into the trash can of history. https://www.techdirt.com/... Blocking links to news is also dumb, @Facebook. States should tax digital ad revenues to fund independent foundations that support nonprofit journalism & civic med…

• @reckless Nilay Patel on x

  Just reading the Murduch vs Facebook discourse https://twitter.com/...

• @jason_kint Jason Kint on x

  I don't agree w @karaswisher conclusion but respect her mod POV here. But what I do want to know is for all the reporting in 24hrs...has anyone asked for backup on this Facebook claim? I don't believe 5B clicks for news pubs created $316mm in revenue. FB traffic is super thin$. h…

• @tostevinm Matthew Tostevin on x

  A different perspective: “This fight was not “Facebook v. Australia.” Or “Facebook v. journalism” even though some ignorant or dishonest people are making it out to be the case. This was always “Rupert Murdoch v. the open web.” https://www.techdirt.com/... via @Techdirt

• @sunriseon7 Sunrise on x

  “Facebook is a threat to democracy and to public health” Former Facebook investor and mentor to Mark Zuckerberg Roger McNamee (@moonalice) on the social media giant's decision to ban news in Australia. https://twitter.com/...

• @slpng_giants_oz @slpng_giants_oz on x

  Government & various pundits screeching about Facebook robbing the public of credible information by blocking news sites in Australia. FB is evil but who published ARSON lies of the bushfires, SEX romp security guards lie & Sky News. Rupert Murdoch & News Corp! #Auspol

• @andrewbartlett Andrew Bartlett on x

  Seeing Murdoch media repeatedly calling Facebook a bully with zero sense of irony is a sight to behold.

• @clairlemon @clairlemon on x

  And I actually don't think it's about cash. It's about power. The media biz and politics biz has always been about power—cash is a secondary concern.

• @grogsgamut Greg Jericho on x

  There's almost universal reporting that Facebook has alienated/angered its users... but has it? I mean I have a lot of fairly politically/media addicted friends and my FB feed seems largely absent of anything approaching that

• @djinni43142058 Djinni on x

  Enlighten me, please. Is this Facebook thing simply a way to give Murdoch even more control over what we see and hear? An even greater monopoly? Is that what is behind it?

• @brantcooper Brant Cooper on x

  Society responds to these dilemmas exactly the wrong way. We tinker with system outcomes we don't like, unable to grok the myriad ramifications of the tinkering on other parts of the system. I dislike FB. But who is articulating the desired outcome other than FU FB? https://twitt…

• @mmasnick Mike Masnick on x

  I just had to ring the bell hanging over my desk, as for the first time in my life, I've convinced someone to change their opinion on this here internet. https://twitter.com/...

• @benthompson Ben Thompson on x

  I think what is illuminating about this story is the breathtaking dishonesty of many Facebook critics. It's probably worth keeping in mind to what extent the “whatever side Facebook is on is the wrong one” heuristic applies to other more difficult to understand stories as well. h…

• @ohmdee @ohmdee on x

  Takeaway message: here is yet another piece of legislation written by politicians with zero technical knowledge, who also consulted nobody with technical knowledge. It was bound to be flawed. https://twitter.com/...

• @hkanji Hussein Kanji on x

  We can argue about whether or not Facebook is “compatible with democracy” but the simple facts of the situation are that Australia - pushed heavily by Rupert Murdoch - has decided to put in place a plan to tax Google and Facebook for any links to news https://www.techdirt.com/...

• @djamesarmstrong David Armstrong on x

  I get the #facebook hate, but this is the best take on the facebook/google/Australia dust up I've seen. @techdirt @mmasnick https://www.techdirt.com/...

• @channel4news @channel4news on x

  “Every government is the Australian government, as we all face this unaccountable power in the same way - it is time for governments to wake up.” Author Shoshana Zuboff tells @krishgm that tech giants have control and authority of the world's knowledge. https://www.channel4.com/.…

• @bobbyallyn Bobby Allyn on x

  “This fight was not ‘Facebook v. Australia.’ Or ‘Facebook v. journalism’ even though some ignorant or dishonest people are making it out to be the case. This was always ‘Rupert Murdoch v. the open web.’ https://twitter.com/...

• @lachlan Lachlan Markay on x

  “But here, a bunch of lazy newspaper execs who failed to adapt and to figure out better internet business models not only want the traffic, they also want to get paid for it.” https://www.techdirt.com/...

• @daphnehk Daphne Keller on x

  Apologies to those who wanted AU news poll results without having to vote. Here's a snapshot so far. Most interesting is the # of people who say FB has done more than expected for public interest (but that was a hard Q to articulate, so maybe these answers don't mean much). https…

• @jayrosen_nyu Jay Rosen on x

  In news and analysis about the Australian legislation in the “make the platforms pay for news” battle, I look for who mentions that legacy media use their remaining clout with politicians to bring pressure on tech— but also to exclude smaller and newer publishers from the deal.

• @markscott82 Mark Scott on x

  How I feel about US lawmakers railing against @Facebook for pulling out of Australia amid spat over new laws that would force Big Tech players to pay local publishers for content. I know it's early in 2021. But is anything really going to move in DC on digital policymaking? https…

• @bradchacos B-rad Chacos on x

  Hear, hear! “First is the link tax. This is fundamentally against the principles of an open internet. The government saying that you can't link to a news site unless you pay a tax should be seen as inherently problematic for a long list of reasons.” https://twitter.com/...

• @chriskeall Chris Keall on x

  @Techmeme @mmasnick Is the author aware that FB has blocked a broad swathe of Australian govt, police charity, union, retailer and emergency service sites too in its broad-brush, automated news-blocking sweep? I don't support the legislation, but Facebook's reaction has been a ma…

• @adrianweckler Adrian Weckler on x

  Google paid = they're evil. Facebook didn't pay = they're evil. https://twitter.com/...

• @karlbode Karl Bode on x

  oh no, news outlets being approached directly for news https://twitter.com/...

• @naijaflyingdr Dr Ola Brown on x

  A entire country telling you to no vex A flex https://twitter.com/...

• @eyevariety @eyevariety on x

  Next up: newspapers charge you to tweet their articles https://twitter.com/...

• @picardonhealth Andr Picard on x

  Even for a company that specialises in PR disasters, @Facebook has excelled with its Australian blackout. By turning off news sharing, it has turned attention to its own reckless opaque power, by @EmilyBell https://www.theguardian.com/ ... via @guardian #journalism

• @juliacarriew Julia Carrie Wong on x

  Whatever you think of the proposed bill, Facebook's behavior in Australia should be a clarion call to publishers, government agencies, and any organizations with a public interest purpose that it's time to divest from Facebook as a communication platform https://www.theguardian.c…