Facebook ban hits Supercars team
Facebook's controversial ban of news coverage in Australia has seen the official page of Supercars team Matt Stone Racing taken down.
The social media giant banned both publishers and users from sharing news stories on Wednesday this week in response to a proposed law by the Australian government that forces tech platforms to pay publishers for news content.
The controversial move has effectively seen all official news outlets wiped off the platform in Australia – including Motorsport.com.
There has been collateral damage too, with a number of state health and emergency services, as well as charities, caught up in the ban.
That's included Matt Stone Racing, which says it's the only Supercars team to have its page removed so far.
MSR has contacted both the championship and Facebook support team, but was told by the latter that it “won’t even be reviewing these issues on their platform for at least a week or more”.
MSR says it is also still active in Instagram.
Team Owner Matt Stone said: “It’s certainly disappointing. As someone who competes at the highest level of Australia sport, to be unable to communicate with the millions of fans that love and follow our sport on the Facebook platform is not ideal.
"All I can hope for is that the Fans get behind MSR and follow our Instagram page until these issues are resolved. Our team has had really good lead into next week’s race, and we are certainly very keen to keep all our fans and team partners updated in the lead up and throughout the Repco Mt Panorama 500 next weekend."
Australian regulators released a draft last year detailing how media outlets could bargain either collectively or individually with the likes of Facebook and Google to have their news stories distributed over their networks.
This initially led to Google threatening to withdraw its search engine from Australia but it has since agreed a deal with media giant News Corp that will ensure its service continue in the country.
Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?
