Australia: after agreement, Facebook will restore news content in the country
The giant Facebook has struck a last-minute deal with the Australian government.
News content will be restored.
REUTERS - STRINGER
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
A compromise has been found in the standoff between the Australian government and the American giant.
Under pressure from Canberra who had decided to force Facebook to pay the media for their content, the social network had blocked Australian press articles.
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Facebook has just reversed its decision after reaching an agreement.
A first that could create an oil spot elsewhere in the world.
This was one of the key points of the bill, the first of its kind in the world, which the Australian government is preparing: paying the media for the publication of their content online.
►Also read: Facebook challenges Australia by blocking news content
Fiercely opposed to this project, Facebook had blocked the publication of information links from local or international media.
A measure that has sparked outrage across Australia and beyond.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison even called Facebook's decision unfriendly.
Battle by proxy
This last-minute compromise means that the American social media giant,
but also Google
, which agreed to a similar compromise last week, may not be subject to government sanctions, if they manage to strike deals with media to pay for their information.
The tech giants are playing it big.
It is about their image.
But also their economic model which depends on topical content.
For the Australian Minister of Finance, his country is fighting a proxy battle, but the stakes are global.
The European Union, Canada and other countries also intend to regulate the sector.
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To read also: Facebook would have inflated its advertising audiences on purpose
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