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Health Minister Greg Hunt and health experts warn conspiracy theories and misinformation could thrive on Facebook following the social media giantâs âirresponsible and dangerousâ ban on Australian media content just days out from the nationâs COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Mr Hunt said he was âdeeply and profoundly concernedâ by Facebookâs decision, which affected the pages of some state and territory health departments as well as hospitals and health charities, blocking access to vital health, COVID and vaccine-related public information.
Health Minister Greg Hunt says thereâs a risk vaccine misinformation could spread.
Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
âThere is a risk that if you cannot have accurate information, that those who wish to promulgate falsehoods and fictions can do so without a response,â he said.
Date Time
Statement on Facebook blocking science expertise
The nation’s peak bodies representing science and scientific expertise have expressed deep concern about Facebook blocking content today from a range of non-news science organisations.
On Thursday, Facebook blocked content from groups including Science & Technology Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Australian Science Media Centre, the Australian Science Teachers Association, Professionals Australia, The Royal Institution of Australia, and Research Australia.
These organisations share valued and peer-reviewed science insights and Australia’s deep scientific knowledge.
The changes also affected state health departments including those in South Australia and Queensland and some emergency services feeds.
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in April last year it would help level the playing field by requiring digital platforms to pay news media businesses for the content they produce. He said it was only fair that those that generate content get paid for it.
Google lashed out at the proposal in January, with managing director for Australia Mel Silva telling the Australian Senate the company would have no choice but to pull out of the market. It has since struck multimillion-dollar deals with two large TV networks.
Facebook on the other hand is not budging. Under the ban, the Australian population is unable to view or share both local and international news content on the platform.
Slamming Facebook for blocking content from trusted science and health organisation during the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia’s peak bodies representing scientific expertise called the move “irresponsible and dangerous”. Facebook moved on Thursday to block users in Australia from sharing or viewing news content on its platform, a measure it said was needed in the face of new laws making digital giants like Facebook and Google pay news outlets for.
Facebook bars Australians from finding or sharing news on its service, a dramatic escalation of a fight with the government over paying local publishers.