Facebook ban to lift but can we trust them again?

The Facebook news ban is being lifted but what did the shutdown mean for small arts organisations and publishers who relied on the platform to build audiences?

Yesterday – almost as quickly as the ban was introduced – the Federal Government announced that Facebook ‘intends to restore Australian news pages in the coming days’ after amendments were made to the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code. In short, Facebook’s news ban worked and the government responded to get pages back up.

It comes as cold comfort for art organisations who woke to blank Facebook pages and a barrier between them and their audiences on Thursday 18 February.

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George Dunford
About the Author
George Dunford is Content Director at ArtsHub and Screenhub. He has written for Meanjin, The Big Issue, Lonely Planet, The Good Food Guide and others. He has worked in digital leadership roles in the cultural sector for more than 10 years including at the National Library of Australia, National Museum of Australia and the Wheeler Centre. Twitter: @Hack_packer Instagram: george.dunford LinkedIn: george-dunford