Facebook blocks users in Australia from finding or sharing news

People in Australia can no longer find news on Facebook (FB).

Facebook said Wednesday that people and publishers in Australia cannot share and view news from local and international outlets. The announcement is a response to proposed legislation in Australia that would force tech platforms to pay news publishers for content.

Meanwhile, Australia has hit out on Facebook as the feud between the Australian government and Facebook grew more strenuous overpaying for content.

In a protest against the government’s new legislation, it also became evident that the social media giant scrubbed official health pages, emergency safety warnings and even welfare networks along with the news.

The drastic move directed by Facebook even marks a split from Alphabet Inc-owned Google as both companies had joint forces together to campaign against the Australian laws. Both Google and Facebook had threatened to cancel their services in Australia. However, search engine giant has instead sealed preemptive deals with several news outlets in the recent days over the looming laws.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp was the latest to announce its deal with Google that included that the news outlet would receive “significant payments” from the search engine giant in exchange for providing content for News Showcase account.

Facebook had previously said in a statement that the law, which is expected to pass in the Australian parliament within a few days, “fundamentally misunderstands” the relationship between the company and publishers.