When a Website Flexes Its Muscles to Cut off a Country’s Press…

You know that it’s time to leave the website.

Facebook’s sudden and dramatic decision to block people from sharing news in Australia has had unexpected consequences for a wide range of government organizations and service groups, who woke up Thursday to find that their pages had been inexplicably swept up in the company’s far-reaching ban, too.

The American social media giant said Wednesday that it would stop people in Australia from sharing or viewing news from local and international outlets in response to proposed legislation in the country that would force tech firms to pay news publishers for content.

‘Sort this out’: Facebook’s chaotic news ban in Australia blocks pages for fire services, charities and politicians