Australia says Facebook is ‘back at table’ over content law for news payments
- PM Scott Morrison also welcomed an apology by a Facebook executive for the firm mistakenly closing pages that covered public-health and safety announcements
- Facebook has publicly indicated no change in its opposition to a proposed law requiring social media platforms to pay for links to news content
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday said Facebook Inc has re-engaged with the government after escalating tensions saw the social media company disable a raft of pages in the country, including some that offered public-health advice on the coronavirus.
The block on news sharing for Australian users came in response to a legal stand-off with the government, which is expected to pass laws next week aimed at compensating the local media industry for advertising revenue lost to digital platforms.
Morrison on Saturday said Facebook had “tentatively friended us again”.
Facebook’s spat with Australia watched with interest in China
“They’re back at the table,” told a news conference in Sydney. “That’s what we want to see. We want to work through this issue,” he said.
The prime minister also welcomed a report that a Facebook executive had apologised for the company mistakenly shutting down pages operated by charities and others that covered public-health and safety announcements. Morrison described the actions as “completely indefensible”.
Facebook has publicly indicated no change in its opposition to a proposed law requiring social media platforms to pay for links to news content. Morrison was not asked about that.
Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Friday said he had spoken with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and further talks were expected over the weekend. It was not clear whether those talks have happened.
Representatives for Frydenberg did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The stand-off comes as Australia’s vows to press ahead with the landmark legislation, which could set a global precedent as countries like Canada express interest in taking similar action.
As Australia takes on Facebook, can it get the rest of the world on its side?
The Australian law, which would force Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google to reach commercial deals with Australian publishers or face compulsory arbitration, has cleared the lower house of parliament and is expected to be passed by the Senate within the next week.
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault on Thursday said his country would adopt the Australian approach as it crafts its own legislation in coming months.
Google, which has initially threatened to close its search engine in Australia, has announced host of pre-emptive licensing deals over the past week, including a global agreement with News Corp.
Facebook’s move had an immediate impact on traffic to Australian new sites, according to early data from New York-based analytics firm Chartbeat.
Total traffic to the Australian news sites from various platforms fell from the day before the ban by around 13 per cent within the country.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
