The hashtags #DeleteFacebook and #BoycottZuckerberg are trending on Twitter as some Australians delete their profiles to protest the platform’s news ban.
Outraged users are sharing their final Facebook posts and asking friends to send their phone numbers before they delete the platform for good.
Facebook has banned Australian news outlets from sharing content, and has also inadvertently blocked charities, government agencies and smaller businesses.
The hashtags #DeleteFacebook and #BoycottZuckerberg are trending on Twitter as some Australian’s delete their profiles to protest the platform’s news ban. Pictured: Megan Bridger-Darling said she was going to delete her Facebook account
Former Deputy Mayor of Maribyrnong, Victoria, Megan Bridger-Darling posted on Facebook that she was deleting her profile (pictured)
Former Deputy Mayor of Maribyrnong, Victoria, Megan Bridger-Darling, deleted her Facebook account on Thursday and told followers they could find her on ‘Twitter, email, phone, and occasionally in the news.’
‘If Facebook won’t support our journalists, I won’t support them,’ wrote Ms Bridger-Darling.
‘I choose reliable news sources over a platform that benefits and enables anti-vaxxers, klan members, doxxers, fear-mongerers, and extremists to peddle their messages entirely unopposed.’
Outraged users are making their final Facebook posts and asking friends to send their phone numbers before the delete the platform for good. Pictured: Entrepreneur Jared Fitzclarence said he would not be buying Facebook ads until the platform paid for news
Western Australian man Jared Fitzclarence (pictured right) asked other business owners to stop paying for Facebook ads
Western Australia entrepreneur Jared Fitzclarence announced he would no longer be paying Facebook for advertising until news content was fully restored on the platform.
‘I am making a commitment to immediately cease all paid advertising on any Facebook platform and to refrain from clicking on any paid advertisements,’ he wrote.
‘To all Australian entrepreneurs, I challenge you to do the same for your advertising budgets.’
One Newcastle man said he wanted his Facebook friends to delete Facebook with him, offended by the tech giant’s decision to block pages issuing emergency warnings
A Newcastle man said he wanted his Facebook friends to delete Facebook with him.
‘Bushfire warnings, flood warnings and Covid-19 warnings all turned off by Facebook in Australia,’ he wrote.
‘Facebook has turned off all Australian publishers because they object to laws being passed by a democratic government. [It] is time to send Mark Zuckerberg a message #deletefacebook.’
Another Australian posted that they were choosing Reddit over Facebook.
‘So Australians are now gagged on Facebook. News, satire, health service, assistance service, hospital, fire services, weather, ABC Kids, even women’s rescue services are being shut down or silenced,’ they said.
‘I’ll be over at reddits r/Australia.’
Facebook has banned Australian news outlets from sharing content, and has also inadvertently blocked charities, government agencies and businesses. Pictured: CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerburg
Another Australian said they would be using social media platform reddit instead of Facebook in a post on the platform (pictured)
Facebook is Australia’s most popular social media platform, being used by over 17.1million Aussies in a four week period in 2019, according to research by Roy Morgan.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the tech giant’s decision to block Australian news on Thursday.
‘Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing,’ Mr Morrison wrote.
‘We will not be intimidated by BigTech seeking to pressure our Parliament as it votes on our important News Media Bargaining Code.’
The proposed code has support from politicians across major Australian political parties.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who ferociously grilled Facebook and Google representatives in a senate inquiry last month, slammed the move.
‘Blocking Australian news overnight, while allowing hate speech and dangerous conspiracy theories run rampant,’ she said.
‘Facebook has just confirmed it really is just FakeBook.’
Facebook said it made the choice to ban pages, including those providing mental health, domestic violence and emergency services support, ‘with a heavy heart.’
‘The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content,’ the tech company wrote in a blog post.
‘It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia.’