In deciding to remove the main source of fact-checked information on its platform, the company has ensured that its product is suddenly less valuableFacebook blocks health departments, charities and its own pages in botched Australia news banIn the middle of a global pandemic and on the back of an announcement that it will ban
fake news about vaccines,
Facebook on Thursday announced that it is stopping Australians from sharing or viewing any real news in Australia.
The dramatic move comes as Australia is about to pass legislation that would force Facebook to negotiate fair payment for news content. Facebook previously warned that it would respond in this way and, unlike
Google, has not announced its own deals with media organisations.