Facebook algorithm caused chaos ahead of Australia media law: WSJ
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The Wall Street Journal stated that Facebook intentionally used a wide algorithm to block news from Australia in the past year. Pages for emergency services, hospitals and charities were affected.
Rafael Henrique | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images
FacebookThe algorithm was able to predict how pages would be affected by it, and not just those publishers in Australia. pending legislation that would make platforms pay news outlets for content, the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the Journal, this resulted in pages being removed for both the Australian government as well as health services, when Australia began its Covid vaccination program.
The Journal reported the social media giant did not notify pages in advance and that the takedown was launched before an appeals process was ready — a break from typical procedure, the report said.
Australian authorities and Whistleblowers submitted documents and testimony alleging Facebook wanted maximum pressure to get Australian lawmakers to vote on the law.
‘Technical error’
Facebook informed the WSJ the move was not a negotiating tactic. The company used a wide algorithm to determine what news it considered because the law did not specify.
“The documents in question clearly show that we intended to exempt Australian government Pages from restrictions in an effort to minimize the impact of this misguided and harmful legislation,” Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said in a statement to the Journal. We apologised and tried to fix the technical problem that prevented us from doing so. Any claim to the contrary, however, is clearly and categorically false.
The report includes details about actions Facebook took in advance of legislation that will make digital platforms, such as Facebook and Google, pay for news to show that content in search results or on their newsfeeds.
Google and Facebook opposed the law. threatened to remove some services or features from AustraliaBut, ultimately they reached commercial or government deals.
The full report is available here the Wall Street Journal.
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