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Facebook scores wins and losses in Australian news battle

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 24 Feb 2021, 2:43PM
(Photo / 123RF)
(Photo / 123RF)

Facebook scores wins and losses in Australian news battle

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Wed, 24 Feb 2021, 2:43PM

The Australian Government has re-friended Facebook.

The social media site banned any news out of Australia being posted on its platform last week.

It followed the proposal of a law which would force Facebook to pay publishers for their content.

But the tech giant's now reversed the ban - after the Government agreed to amend the legislation.

Washington Post Silicon Valley correspondent Elizabeth Dwoskin told Kate Hawkesby it's a win for Facebook.

"They have enormous amount of power, and in fact, this brazen act, they just cut off news to 17 million people with the flip of a switch."

However, she says Facebook received huge backlash from politicians worldwide.

"This is a company that is facing scrutiny for anti-competitive practices, for privacy, for free speech issues, and they were basically saying 'we don't give a crap'." 

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