Charities condemn Facebook for ‘attack on democracy’ in Australia

Campaign groups say blocking access to reliable news sources leaves a void to be filled by misinformation and hate speech

Members of Facebook's oversight board, which some have likened to an internal supreme court", have been called on to speak out or step down after the platform shut down swathes of media and key public information sites during a battle with the Australian government.

The social media giant suspended pages - including those of government bodies and state health departments before the national coronavirus vaccine rollout - as part of a showdown with officials over a new law that would force it and other platforms to pay for links to news content.