Facebook bans viewing and sharing of news in Australia: The reason is Australia. Facebook says it will prevent users in Australia from sharing news on the platform. Australia is preparing to enact a new "media code" into law.

This is great news but you may not have read about it on Facebook. The social media giant has pursued the threat of banning all Australian media content, both here and internationally, as the railways rallied against the federal government's new plan to pay Google and Facebook for the news. Hit - News links can no longer be shared and publishers can no longer post from their Facebook pages.

There are already some strange effects. The ban on traditional media outlets such as ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Edge has affected several government agencies, including the Department of Health, the Department of Fire and Rescue and Meteorology. Even Betuta advocates like scientific magazines and satirical news sites felt sting. Fake news and conspiracy sites, meanwhile, still seem free to post.