Facebook won’t let users in Australia share news
Facebook said on Wednesday that people and publishers in Australia cannot share and watch news from local and international outlets. The announcement is a response to proposed legislation in Australia that would force tech platforms to pay news publishers for content.
“I hope that in the future, we can once again include news for people in Australia,” Brown said.
The idea of paying tech companies for content on their platforms has been pushed by publishers for some time, and Murdoch and News Corp have been among its avid supporters. The fight has become more pressing for tech platforms in the US, Australia and other countries as regulators and elsewhere consider new laws on the matter.
“This law sets an example where the government decides who enters into these news content agreements, and ultimately, how much the party that already receives the price from the free service is paid,” Easton said . “We will now prioritize investments to other countries, as part of our plans to invest in new licensing news programs and experiences.”
As part of Wednesday’s agreement, News Corp Publications will participate in the news showcase in the US, UK and Australia.
Google declined to share the terms of the deal, but News Corp’s press release claimed it would receive “significant payments”.
News Corp CEO Robert Thomson thanked Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his team for “showing a thoughtful commitment to journalism” that will continue to resonate in every country. Thomson also held the partnership as a major victory in the company’s long battle against the Tech platform.
“This has been a passionate cause for our company for over a decade and I am grateful that the terms of business are changing, not only for News Corp, but for every publisher,” Thomson said in a statement. “For many years, we were accused of leaning on Tech windmills, but a solitary campaign, a quikotic discovery, has become a movement, and will be enhanced both by journalism and society.”
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