In shock move, Facebook blocks news access in Australia

In a shocking act of retaliation on Feb. 18, Facebook blocked Australians from sharing news, a milestone in the increasingly frantic jockeying between governments, media and powerful tech companies that one Australian minister called "an assault on a sovereign nation" and abuse of power.

Australia's government condemned the decision, which also prevented some government communications, including messages about emergency services, as well as some commercial pages. The digital platforms fear that what's happening in Australia will become an expensive precedent that larger countries will follow.

Facebook took the drastic action because the House of Representatives passed legislation that would make Facebook and Google pay for Australian journalism, said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who added that he was given no warning before Facebook acted. The legislation needs to be passed by the Senate before it becomes law.

"Facebook's actions were unnecessary, they were heavy-handed and they will damage its reputation here in Australia," Frydenberg said.

Facebook said the proposed Australian law "fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it."

"This is an assault on a sovereign nation," Health Minster Greg Hunt told Parliament. "It is an assault on people's freedom and, in particular, it's an utter abuse of big technologies' market power and control over technology."

Both Google and Facebook have threatened retaliation if Australia created the law, which the government contends will ensure media businesses receive fair payment for their journalism being linked on those platforms.

Australia's proposal requires a negotiation safety net through an arbitration panel. The digital giants...