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Facebook announced that it would be blocking Australian news content from its platform. This decision comes after Australia expressed its determination to pass a new media law that will oblige the company to pay for news that appears on its site.
Facebook reveals restrictions and blasts the proposed law
Australia will now be barred from posting news links on Facebook. Its citizens will also not be able to share or view Australian and international news content on the platform. Globally, sharing or posting of news links from Australian publications is prohibited as well.
Mark Zuckerberg’s company revealed its decision through a blog post that was posted on Feb. 17. In its statement, Facebook also slammed Australia for proposing such an unfair law.
“The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content,” William Easton, Facebook Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, said in a statement. “It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia and with a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter.”
Easton added that they were ready to launch Facebook News in Australia and boost their investments with the Australian publishers, but they can only carry this out “with the right rules in place.”
As this was how things have turned out, Facebook will now just as prioritize investments in other countries. The managing director said that this step is part of their plans to invest in new licensing news programs and experiences.
The new Australian media law
Australian officials have presented a proposal that aims to make Google and Facebook pay for news. The proposed policy is called the News Media Bargaining Code, and it is now being tackled in Congress and will likely be passed.
If approved and finally turned into a new bill, it is feared that other countries will also follow suit and ask tech companies to compensate publishers. This will definitely change the relationship between traditional media and tech companies worldwide.
