Facebook s news ban in Australia: Everything you should know
Australians woke up last Thursday to find news had vanished from their Facebook feed. Now the social media giant had decided to reverse its decision. Listen - 08:49
Facebook started restricting the viewing and sharing of news on the social network in Australia in response to a proposed law that would require digital platforms to pay publishers for content. Brent Lewin/Getty Images
Last year, Facebook issued a stark warning to the Australian government over a proposed law that would require the social-media giant to pay publishers: Pass it and we ll restrict news Down Under.
The Australian government has blinked first.
Facebook has negotiated amendments to Australia’s controversial “media bargaining code”, and has agreed to restore news content for Australian users in the coming days.
In a blogpost, Facebook said the Australian government has agreed to a number of amendments to the Media Bargaining Code following negotiations, and guaranteed to address the company’s core concerns “about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them”.
Campbell Brown, VP, Global News Partnerships, said that the Australian government had clarified that tech company will not have to pay for news. Brown said negotiations took place between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher, and Mark Zuckerberg, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.