Anger mounts as Facebook's Australia news ban sweeps up charities, government pages

FILE PHOTO: The Facebook logo displayed on a mobile phone is seen through a magnifying glass in this picture illustration taken February 9, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Dozens of Australian companies, charities and information providers reacted with anger on Thursday after being shut down by Facebook, imploring the social media giant to restore their pages as calls for users to delete the platform grew.

Australians were blocked from accessing news in their Facebook feeds after an escalation of the proposed media bargaining code which would require the company and Google to reach commercial deals with news outlets whose links drive traffic to their platforms.