Facebook will restore news in Australia after negotiations with the government

Facebook will restore news in Australia after negotiations with the government

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The announcement ends a month of fierce dispute between the American technology company and Canberra, which had been working on legislation that would force technology platforms to pay news publishers for content.

The deal “will allow us to support the publishers we choose, including small and local publishers,” said Campbell Brown, Facebook’s vice president for global news partnerships, in a statement. She added that the company is “restoring Facebook news in Australia in the next few days”.

Last week, the Facebook (FB) barred Australians from finding or sharing news about their service. The decision – which appeared to be the most restrictive move the company has ever taken against content publishers – has forced the pages of media organizations and even some essential services unrelated to darkness.

Facebook informed the government of its decision, according to Australian Communications Minister Paul Fletcher.

The announcement was also made while the Australian Senate discussed the latest iteration of the media law, which was first introduced last summer.

The initial version of the legislation would have allowed the media to negotiate individually or collectively with Facebook and Google (GOOGL) – and enter into arbitration if the parties cannot reach an agreement.

On Tuesday, the Australian government said it would amend the code to include a clause that “should take into account whether a digital platform has made a significant contribution to the sustainability of the Australian news industry through trade agreements with news media companies. “, among other measures.

“The government has clarified that we will retain the ability to decide whether the news appears on Facebook so that we are not automatically subject to forced negotiation,” said Brown of Facebook. “It has always been our intention to support journalism in Australia and around the world, and we will continue to invest in news globally and resist the efforts of media conglomerates to promote regulatory structures that do not take into account the true exchange of value between publishers and platforms. like Facebook. “

Meanwhile, Google was already trying to get ahead of the new legislation by announcing partnerships with some of the country’s largest media organizations, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (NWS) and Seven West Media.
Asked about Google’s partnerships last week, Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg alluded to the changes that were announced on Tuesday. He said that “if there are trade deals, it changes the equation”.

– Kerry Flynn contributed to this report.

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