Federal govt pulls Facebook advertising as feud escalates

The federal government has withdrawn all advertising campaigns from Facebook as social media platforms continue to block access to Australian news.

On Sunday, Health Minister Greg Hunt said his department would not use Facebook for advertising campaigns.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, who oversees public spending, said Monday that the ban would be extended to the entire government.

“I expect them to withdraw from advertising while they are doing this kind of horrifying activity of improperly removing sites in an attempt to exert power or influence on our democratic system. “I will,” he told Radio National.

“We don’t tolerate it. We stand firmly in the law and consider all those advertising points.”

The government spent $ 42 million on digital advertising in 2019-20. The ACCC reports that about a quarter of all of Australia’s online advertising spending is spent on Facebook, and that this move could cost Facebook millions of dollars. is showing.

This move happens after Facebook blocked news and news-related pages for Australian users last week.

Charity, Health and Government pages including 1800Respect, WA Fire and Emergency Services Department, Meteorological Department “Inadvertently” blocked..

Facebook’s decision was prompted by a government bill that would force digital tech giants to negotiate with publishers on how much to pay to use news in search results and social media.

Senator Birmingham said on Monday that Treasury Secretary Josh Frydenberg had further discussions with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

“I want Facebook to acknowledge that other content reissuers need to work the same way they expect it to work,” he said.

He added that the government is committed to the current form of the bill, despite ongoing discussions with Facebook.

A Facebook spokeswoman said the company is working with the government on “continuing concerns about the bill.”

“We will continue to work with the government on legislative amendments with the aim of achieving a stable and fair path for both Facebook and publishers.”

Transactions between Google and publishers reported last week totaled more than $ 60 million.

Disinformation code

The controversy between Facebook and the government is intensifying, but digital giants, including Facebook, released an industry code on Monday aimed at combating the spread of false information.

This code has been adopted by Twitter, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Redbubble and TikTok and was developed by the Australian internet and social media industry group DIGI.

Signers need to “develop and implement measures aimed at reducing user propagation and potential exposure” to false or disinformation.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority will report the validity of the code to the government by the end of June.

“This code sought to strike the right balance with what people expect when communicating over the Internet,” said Sunita Bose, managing director of DIGI.

“Companies are committed to strong safeguards against harmful false alarms and disinformation that protect privacy, freedom of expression and political communication.”

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the government would “carefully monitor” whether the code was valid.

This code corresponds to the 2019 ACCC Digital Platforms Inquiry recommendations.

In its formal response to the investigation, the government, in principle, upheld the recommendation, saying, “If it turns out that the actions and responses of the platform do not adequately address the concerns identified by the ACCC, the government needs further action. Consider sex. ” ..

-ABC