You might have heard something on the news about how tech giants are putting the squeeze on Australian publishers. It's in response to government legislation that would require the tech giants to pay publishers for the news posted on their platforms. Well, overnight Facebook made good on its threat, preventing Australian publishers from publishing anything at all on Facebook.
And it's not just the big news outlets like The Guardian and the ABC that are affected. Yours truly is among the outlets that have had our Facebook pages scrubbed, as are many of our friends and clients.
But who needs Mark Zuckerberg to have a good time? Bookmark these pages:
- Time Out Sydney is full of cool things to do in our city and beyond, including awesome getaway ideas and ways to explore New South Wales.
- Looking for weekend plans? Here are the best things to do this weekend.
- These are the 53 best restaurants in Sydney, and you can whet your whistle with the 50 best bars.
- And if that's not enough, here are the 50 things every Sydneysider needs to do at least once.
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We don't want to be too navel-gazey and tell you Facebook's ban is going to hurt us. But it's worth noting that we're not the only ones swept up in this. Carriageworks art museum's page and Griffin Theatre Company's page have also been scrubbed. After a truly shocking 2020, it seems like an extra kick in the guts for the arts that venues are prevented from being able to tell people about upcoming exhibitions and shows.
And it's not just arts and culture venues that are affected. Hospitality venues like Cargo have also had their posts removed.
Facebook has long argued in defamation proceedings that it is not a publisher. But according to its own ban on publishers, well...
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And of course, stay in touch with our colleagues at Time Out Melbourne too.