After the Australian government announced that they would require the social media companies to pay for the local news content, Facebook declared that it will now restore the news in the country in the upcoming days.
Last week, the platform's Australian users were confused why Facebook cut their access to some news, including weather information and health concerns.
Facebook and Australia Came Up in the Deal
According to a report by the Associated Press via US News, Australian Parliament Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that the government reached the deal for Facebook and Google to pay for digital journalism in Australia.
This is in line with the country's aim to put a charge in the news content to make room for internet payments.
Last week, the California-based tech giant barred the Aussie users from sharing online news when the House of Representatives issued the draft legislation.
The particular contents that Facebook blocked were about public health, the government's action to the pandemic, and other related topics. These, however, triggered the users in mass confusion about what had happened.
For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that it would only appear like a blank space when Australians accessed their news site.
Frydenberg, the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, pointed out that such amendments were 'clarifications' made by the government through its intent. Moreover, he described that the agreement was 'difficult' with Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO.
The politician continued that the two tech giants, Google and Facebook, did not keep the truth of Australia being the current center of attention globally when it comes to online content. He added that the said companies aim to make the Bargaining code a negotiable way.
The code tells that the tech titans will not be able to take the opportunity to publish news given that they would secure the payment first for the journalism. If a standoff happens, the decision will be up to the panel.
For Belinda Barnet, a senior lecturer on media at Swinburne University, Facebook could retaliate any time before a decision from the arbitration panel came about the payment for the news content.
In a statement by the Australia Institute's Center for Responsible Technology director Peter Lewis, these amendments will preserve the media's integrity regarding the code.
Google Issued a Warning to Australia
Besides Facebook, Google has warned Australia that it will make its searchability much more difficult across the country. This is because the company believes that what the Aussie government wants is unfair based on the proposed law.
Furthermore, the multi-tech entity has been known to deal with the media companies in Australia when it comes to publishing content through the News Showcase model.
Under the model, Google said that it serves over 50 Australian titles, with more than 500 publishers utilizing the model since its release in October 2020.
To solve the issue, Facebook decided to negotiate with the Australian publishers under its model similar to Google, the Facebook News.
Regarding the lifting of the news ban, the company led by Zuckerberg expressed satisfaction with the agreement. In this term, Australia now accepted the changes in allowing commercial deals, impacting their local publishers.
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This article is owned by Tech Times.
Written by Joen Coronel
