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Australia passes world-first law forcing Facebook, Google to pay for news

  • Regulators around the world have been closely watching the legislation as they grapple with the advertising dominance held by tech giants
  • The US firms have negotiated hard to extract concessions, with Facebook temporarily cutting off its news feed in the country

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The Australian government said it would take into account commercial deals Google and Facebook reach with news companies before deciding whether they are subject to the law. Photo illustration: Reuters
Australia’s parliament passed a world-first law to force digital giants such as Facebook and Google to pay local publishers for news content – a move that may unleash more global regulatory action to limit their power.
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The legislation was passed on Thursday and will ensure “news media businesses are fairly remunerated for the content they generate”, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in a statement.

“The code is a significant microeconomic reform, one that has drawn the eyes of the world on the Australian parliament,” he said.

Regulators around the world have been closely watching the legislation as they grapple with the advertising dominance of Facebook and Google, who now face the prospect of similar measures cascading around the world. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he has discussed the new law with the leaders of India, Canada, France and Britain.

The US technology giants negotiated hard with the Australian government to extract concessions.

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