Mark Zuckerberg
Photographer: Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Photographer: Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
The meeting of Facebook Inc.’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, with Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg last week did little to resolve the dispute between the social media giant and the country over proposed changes to media laws.
“Mark Zuckerberg didn’t persuade me to back down, if that’s what you’re asking,” said Frydenberg on the Australian Broadcasting Corp’s “Insiders” program. The billionaire “reached out to talk about the code and the impact on Facebook” in what the treasurer called “a very constructive discussion”.
Technology giants, from Facebook to Google, to Alphabet Inc., have been battling Australian lawmakers over proposed legislation that requires them to pay for the use of media content. The new laws were created to support the local media industry, including News Corp. by Rupert Murdoch, who has struggled to adapt to the digital economy.
Facebook threatened to prevent Australians from sharing news on its platform if the law passed, while Google said it could remove its search engine entirely from the Australian market.
Frydenberg said on Sunday that while he does not reject Google’s threats, he is also not “intimidated” by them.
Australia says ‘inevitable’ Google will have to pay for news
“We are in detailed discussions with Google, with Facebook, with the other players in the industry, because this was not a short conversation we had with these companies,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also spoke with Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella about the proposed changes, said Frydenberg.
“At every step along the way, these companies were consulted,” said the treasurer. “What I do know is that media companies must be paid for the content.”
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