SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook said on Monday that it struck a deal with the Australian government that would allow users and publishers in the country once again to share and view links to news articles on the social network.
Facebook last week blocked sharing or viewing news links in Australia because the country was supposed to pass a law requiring technology companies to negotiate with media publishers and compensate them for the content that appears on their websites.
The legislation includes a code of conduct that would allow media companies to negotiate individually or collectively with digital platforms for the value of their news content.
But on Monday, the Australian government added amendments to the proposed code. This included a two-month mediation period, giving both sides more time to negotiate trade deals that could help Facebook avoid having to work under the code’s provisions.
In return, Facebook agreed to restore links to news and articles for Australian users “in the next few days,” according to a statement from Josh Frydenberg, Australian treasurer, and Paul Fletcher, minister of communications, infrastructure, cities and the arts.
“It is important to note that the amendments will strengthen the hand of regional and small publishers in obtaining adequate remuneration for the use of their content on digital platforms,” added the statement.
Campbell Brown, vice president of global news partnerships at Facebook, said in a statement: “We are restoring Facebook news in Australia in the coming days. Going forward, the government clarified that we will retain the ability to decide whether news appears on Facebook so that we are not automatically subject to forced negotiation. “
Mike Isaac reported from San Francisco and Damien Cave in Sydney, Australia.
This is a developing story and will be updated.