Facebook v. Australia

Kerpow! And suddenly, the fight begins. A government thinks it’s time for Facebook to pay its dues, and all of a sudden there’s a whole lot of Facebook pages which aren’t available. Shut down, just like that. If anybody out there was sceptical about internet giants wielding excessive power, this was the demonstration they required. Yes, these are the big boys, and they do like to have their own way, and if someone is going to be so uppity as to suggest that they should abide by the rules, then there will be consequences.

From the sound of it, a compromise is on the cards. Australia and Facebook will find a way to live with each other, and that may mean Facebook parting with more of their profits than they used to. It’s not the happy ending, but it is at least the start of a conversation that should have started a while ago. Just how much power do they have, and is there anything that regulation can do? Let’s hope so, or we’re all in trouble.