This fight was not “Facebook v. Australia.” Or “Facebook v. journalism” even though some ignorant or dishonest people are making it out to be the case. This was always “Rupert Murdoch v. the open web.” We may not like Facebook in the role of the defender of the open web (and it’s far from the best representative for the open web). But Facebook saying that it won’t pay a link tax is a defense of the open web and against Rupert Murdoch. It’s the right move, and whatever else you may think of Facebook, the company deserves credit for taking the right stand here.
“The Bizarre Reaction To Facebook’s Decision To Get Out Of The News Business In Australia”, Mike Masnick, Techdirt
100 % correct. Same problem applies in Denmark and other places. It’s more or less the last stand of failed news media executives, who have decided they can’t innovate themselves out of the tidal changes of the digital age, so they need to revert to applying pressure – seek protection money – through government intervention.
They should also fail – and fail miserably – on this one.