ZCZC
BFF-19
AUSTRALIA-US-IT-MEDIA-FACEBOOK
Facebook to restore Australia news pages as deal reached on media law
SYDNEY, Feb 23, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Facebook said Tuesday it will lift a
contentious ban on Australian news pages, after the government agreed to
amend a world-first media law fiercely opposed by the tech giant.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook indicated a compromise had been
reached on key aspects of a law that would force global tech companies to pay
news companies for content that appears on their platforms.
“As a result of these changes, we can now work to further our investment
in public interest journalism, and restore news on Facebook for Australians
in the coming days,” said Will Easton, managing director of Facebook
Australia.
The social media firm sparked global outrage last week by blacking out
news for its Australian users and inadvertently blocking a series of non-news
Facebook pages linked to everything from cancer charities to emergency
response services.
The compromise means that Facebook and Google — the main targets of the
law — are unlikely to be penalised so long as they reach some deals with
local media firms to pay for news.
The two companies had objected to legislation that made negotiations with
media companies mandatory and gave an independent Australian arbiter the
right to impose a settlement.
“We’re pleased that we’ve been able to reach an agreement with the
Australian government and appreciate the constructive discussions we’ve had”
said Easton.
Despite earlier threats to pull its services from Australia over the
legislation, Google had already softened its stance and brokered deals worth
millions of dollars with a variety of media companies, including the two
largest: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and Nine Entertainment.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1107 hrs