Facebook ban follow up  - Following up on the big story last week, and unsurprisingly news consumption dropped after Facebook banned news from its platform.  - Data compiled by measurement company Nielsen found that the ban had an immediate impact on publishers.    - Nielsen used its Digital Content Ratings methodology – which provides data each month on traffic volumes for tagged websites and apps regardless of the source being on or off-platform – to track total sessions and total time spent for the Current Events & Global News category yesterday.  - Total Sessions fell by 16% last Thursday, when compared with an average Thursday. - According to Nielsen about 22% of news audiences consumed their content exclusively via the Facebook app.  - But, media execs are saying people are coming directly to their sites. And the ABC news app was the most downloaded free App in the App Store on Friday. Above Insta, Messenger, FB and Whatsapp  - They may have had strong traffic on Thursday because it was a strong news day. It will be hard to sustain that without huge breaking news. If publishers can hang on and adapt it could be a net positive.  Facebook news ban: Thuggery shows why we must move fast to fix it https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/facebook-s-devastating-display-of-defiance-is-vintage-zuckerberg-20210219-p5741b.html Facebook loses friends as protest over new media code backfires COVID vaccinations in Victoria to be tracked by new tech platform Australia’s vaccination program starts today!  Victoria will be using a system from Microsoft to keep track of the vaccinations. the Vaccination Registration and Administration Solution (VRAS) is a management platform to co-ordinate the logistics and scheduled delivery of the vaccines at clinics. According to Microsoft, the VRAS technology would also let the Department of Health monitor “cold chain” requirements to ensure vaccines are safe and effective.  Hopefully this isn’t a covid safe app situation…  When it comes to record keeping, the Australian government will use its existing systems, in particular the Australian Immunisation Register.  All Covid vaccination info will be required to be uploaded to the register to help track and trace who is and isn’t protected from the virus. Previously it wasn’t mandatory to report vaccines, but a law change earlier this month means that the gov will have a complete picture of vaccinations. Vaccination records are viewable through Medicare Online, myGov, the Express Plus Medicare mobile app or My Health Record. Ahead of the vaccine rollout, federal government services minister Stuart Robert on Friday called on Australians to link their Medicare accounts to myGov. He said data from Services Australia indicates that only around half of the 19.7 million active myGov accounts have Medicare linked (9.9 million). So it might be a good time to do a little MyGov admin so you’re ready to roll.  And remember to go to health.gov.au website rather than Facebook for vaccine information.  SafeWork NSW tells Uber Eats and HungryPanda to shape up after deaths Safety inspectors have handed international food delivery companies HungryPanda and Uber Eats legal notices telling them to improve their standards after a spate of deaths in the industry. The six notices from SafeWork NSW told the companies to ensure their riders, many of whom do not speak English as a first language,  - have training they can understand;  - aren’t riding electric bikes that go too fast;  - and don’t face unreasonable risks on the road. Some reactions from the media:  “This was vintage Zuckerberg. You don’t blitzscale your way from Harvard dorm room to trillion-dollar titan in the space of a few years without putting lots of noses out of joint… It is possible that a news-free