Facebook agreed on Tuesday to lift its controversial news ban in Australia after the government said it would make a change to a law that would force the tech giant to pay for media content.
“As a result of these changes, we can now work to increase our investment in public interest journalism and restore news on Facebook to Australians in the coming days,” said Will Easton, managing director of Facebook Australia.
“We are pleased that we have reached an agreement with the Australian government and appreciate the constructive discussions we have had,” added Easton.
The deal means that Facebook and the law’s other main target – Google – are unlikely to be penalized as long as they reach some deals with local media companies to pay for the news.
The social media giant was outraged last week when it published the news ban after the House of Representatives passed the News Media Trading Code, which would force Facebook and Google to negotiate with the media companies that produce the content. shared on their platforms.
Facebook vehemently opposed the proposed law, saying it “ignores the reality” of its relationship with publishers who use its service to “share news content”.
Some pages of the Australian government and emergency services were also accidentally deleted in the midst of the ban, adding to the rage.
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