The Australian government has for some time been trying to enact a law that allows social media platforms, such as Facebook, to pay Australian news outlets for the traffic they generate on the platforms.
The bill caused Facebook to kick back last Thursday and the company chose to block the publication and sharing of news from Australian news outlets.
“Facebook’s actions to make friends with Australia are as arrogant as they are discouraging,” the country’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the time.
Facebook withdraws the decision
Over the weekend, the decision was discussed between Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Australian MP Josh Frydenberg – and the scope of the media law has been clarified.
“Facebook has informed the government that it intends to allow Australian news sources again in the coming days,” Frydenberg said in a statement according to news.com.au.
Facebook also confirmed the news and writes in a press release that:
“It is reassuring that we have been able to reach an agreement.”
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#Facebook #news #Australia