The ban on Facebook news in Australia is over – but only after the social media monster forced the country’s government into some rather heavy concessions. Last week, Facebook dramatically blocked all news on its Australian platform – and, incidentally, some charities and health and emergency services – in protest of a proposed law that would make tech giants pay news publishers for use of their content. However, according to Reuters, Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have agreed on a concession agreement. It appears to include a possible exemption for Facebook if it can show it has signed media agreements to pay them for content and will give Facebook a one-month notice to comply with the law if it continues. “Facebook has befriended Australia, and Australian news will be restored on the Facebook platform,” Frydenberg told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
Read it at the Guardian