Information is everywhere, right? Well, here in Australia, we now have one less source of news information at our fingertips. Yesterday, Facebook banned Australian users from posting news links, and sharing or viewing Australian and international news content. This will have a far-reaching impact on many organisations and groups. For the public – people of… Read more »
In denying news content to its Australian users, Facebook is arguably overplaying its hand, behaving as a big company that thinks it can intimidate governments. If it keeps doing this, it will ultimately lose customers, and that’s the last thing Facebook wants. Perhaps you’re already considering breaking up with Facebook, whether in reaction to the… Read more »
Facebook decided today that it became necessary to destroy the town to save it. Australians woke to news – but not on Facebook – that the trillion-dollar social media giant had banned the posting and sharing of news stories in their country. And it was worse than that when the algorithm the company deployed to… Read more »
Executives from Google and Facebook recently told a Senate committee they are prepared to take drastic action if Australia’s news media bargaining code, which would force the internet giants to pay news publishers for linking to their sites, comes into force. Google would have “no real choice” but to cut Australian users off entirely from… Read more »
If you’re reading this story, then you probably didn’t see it on Facebook. The social media giant announced overnight that it would ban Australian news media from its site, following through on a threat in response to the Australian government’s plans to force Google and Facebook to pay media companies for news featured on the… Read more »
It’s Wednesday, there’s lots happening and Victorians are free to dance once more. Here’s today’s news, and don’t forget to tune in for the Startup Daily show on Ausbiz.com.au every weekday, 2-2.45pm. Watch online, download the ausbiz app or via 7Plus. Facebook ban Morrison government backbencher Craig “try the bleach” Kelly has been sin-binned by Facebook for a week… Read more »
Welcome to Tuesday. Fingers crossed for good news for Victorians to emerge from lockdown some time today. Here’s today’s news, and don’t forget to tune in for the Startup Daily show on Ausbiz.com.au every weekday, 2-3pm. Watch online, download the ausbiz app or via 7Plus. Zucktime Facebook is reportedly building a smartwatch – not to be confused with Facebook Watch,… Read more »
Happy Monday all. Here’s today’s news, and don’t forget to tune in for the Startup Daily show on Ausbiz.com.au every weekday, 2-3pm. Our guests today include Ignition Lane’s Gavin Appel with his weekly wrap of all the big tech news. Watch online, download the ausbiz app or via 7Plus. Google & Facebook start talking A Senate inquiry into… Read more »
Over the past few weeks, Google and Facebook have engaged in desperate attempts to avoid regulation under the Australian government’s proposed mandatory news media bargaining code. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg even appealed to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher personally last week, hoping to shift the government’s hard stance. Both platforms’ strategies… Read more »
The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has raised concerns that Australia’s proposed News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code could fundamentally break the internet as we know it. His concerns are valid. However, they could be addressed through minor changes to the proposed code. How could the code break the web?… Read more »
Facebook Messenger and Instagram’s direct messaging services will be integrated into one system, Facebook has announced. The merge will allow shared messaging across both platforms, as well as video calls and the use of a range of tools drawn from both platforms. It’s currently being rolled out across countries on an opt-in basis, but hasn’t… Read more »
Facebook’s threat to ban publishing and sharing of local new stories on its platform, as well as Instagram, is “ill-timed and misconceived” according to the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) chair Rod Sims. The ACCC has been charged by the government with shepherding the proposed “News media bargaining code” through to law. The proposed… Read more »
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released its draft news media bargaining code, announced on Friday by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. The draft code allows commercial news businesses to bargain – individually or collectively – with Google and Facebook, in order to be paid for news the tech giants publish on their services. According to… Read more »
The Australian government is setting out to develop a “bargaining code” to address power imbalances between news media publishers and digital platforms such as Facebook and Google. The creation of this code was recommended last year in the final report of the Digital Platforms Inquiry held by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC). The… Read more »
Part of growing up is learning to take responsibility for the hurtful things you say. As a person who often says stupid things, I often need reminding. Defamation law reflects that lesson. When you say something that hurts another person, it can cost you. A recent decision has stretched this commonsense intuition. According to the… Read more »
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