Facebook To Resume News Content In Australia After Striking a Deal

After the Australian government approved a number of changes, Facebook wants to restore the platform in Australia. The country wants to pass a law that will force Facebook and Google to pay media companies for their content.

Facebook and the Australian government have reached a deal in the dispute over a planned law to regulate the digital news market. The US Internet giant, therefore, announced on Tuesday that a ban on journalistic content on Facebook that had been imposed in the country since last week would be lifted.

“We are delighted to have reached an agreement with the Australian government and appreciate the constructive discussions,” said Facebook Australia chief Will Easton. According to him, the government made “changes” to the text of the law. The journalistic news content could therefore be reactivated on the pages of Australian users “in the coming days,” said Easton. Neither side initially provided any information on the content of the compromise reached.

Media content usage fee

The government wants to use the law to require the US Internet giants Facebook and Google to pay the traditional Australian media companies usage fees for the distribution of their journalistic content. In this way, part of the online giant’s advertising-income is to be passed on to the traditional media houses.

In response to the proposed law, Facebook had blocked access to journalistic news content for users in Australia since Thursday. The Australian government then negotiated with Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg about ways to end the conflict.

Google, however, avoided a conflict with the Australian government. The group has already negotiated agreements with several media companies to distribute their content. A corresponding agreement was signed with News Corp, the company of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch, among others