For some in China, Facebook’s spat with Australia proves Beijing was wise to block the service

‎Facebook is under fire in Australia for blocking news following a row on whether the company should pay media outlets for their content

The social media giant’s dispute with Australia prompted some Chinese netizens to point out that Beijing was right to ban the service years ago

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Facebook started restricting the sharing of news on its service in Australia on February 18, defying a proposed law that would require technology companies to pay publishers when their articles are posted by users. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 9:13pm, 19 Feb 2021Updated: 9:26pm, 19 Feb 2021

Facebook’s move to restrict news sharing from its site in Australia this week, in protest over a proposed law that will force it to pay media outlets for content, has convinced some Chinese internet users that Beijing made the right decision to keep the social media giant blocked by the Great Firewall.

The dispute between Facebook and the federal government in Australia has laid bare the risks of letting foreign internet giants dominate the flow of information, according to some Chinese online commentators and analysts. They said Beijing was justified in denying local access to Facebook more than a decade ago, despite efforts by company founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to enter the world’s second-largest economy.

“How arrogant Facebook is to Australia now, it was as arrogant to China back then,” said Wang Sixin, a law professor at the Communication University of China.

Most commentators and social media users in China, however, did not seem to pay too much attention to the dispute. Many saw the news as a chance to poke fun on Australia rather than reflect on China’s stand on Facebook, according to Wang Boyuan, a tech blogger at technology-focused media outlet PingWest.

The Facebook page for ABC News, displayed on a smartphone in Sydney on February 18, shows the social media giant restricting the sharing of news on its service in the country. Photo: Bloomberg

Wang, who heads an internet law research centre at the Beijing-based university, said US internet giants like Facebook and Google “did many things that harmed China’s sovereignty”, without elaborating. Facebook was blocked in China in 2009, while Google pulled out of the market in 2010.

For some in China, Facebook’s spat with Australia proves Beijing was wise to block the service

‎Facebook is under fire in Australia for blocking news following a row on whether the company should pay media outlets for their content The social media giant’s dispute with Australia prompted some Chinese netizens to point out that Beijing was right to ban the service years ago

‎Facebook is under fire in Australia for blocking news following a row on whether the company should pay media outlets for their content

The social media giant’s dispute with Australia prompted some Chinese netizens to point out that Beijing was right to ban the service years ago