Facebook on Monday said it will bar Australian users from sharing news stories on its social media platforms if legislation requiring the firm to pay publishers for content passes.
Facebook on Monday said it will bar Australian users from sharing news stories on its social media platforms if legislation requiring the firm to pay publishers for content passes. At the end of July, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a draft proposal that «would allow news media businesses to bargain individually or collectively with Google and Facebook over payment for the inclusion of news on their services.» In response, Facebook Australia Managing Director, Will Easton, on Monday said the company will «reluctantly stop» allowing publishers and users to share local and international news articles on Facebook and Instagram should the law take effect. The draft proposal includes «minimum standards» that require Facebook and Google to provide advance notice of changes to algorithmic ranking and presentation of news, label original news content, and provide information about data collection operations. Both companies are pushing back against the effort, reports CNET. «Australia is drafting a new regulation that misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do damage to the very news organisations the government is trying to protect,» Easton writes.
