Facebook threatens to block users, media in Australia from sharing news if new law is passed

All major Australian news media organisations have backed a government plan to force digital giants to pay for content.

Social media platform Facebook on Tuesday threatened to block users and media organisations in Australia from sharing news stories if a government plan to force digital giants to pay for content is approved. All major media companies in Australia, such as News Corp Australia, Nine Entertainment and Guardian Australia, have backed the plan, to offset their loss of advertising revenue to Facebook, The Guardian reported.

“Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram,” Will Easton, the managing director of Facebook Australia and New Zealand, said in a blog post. “This is not our first choice – it is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australia’s news and media sector.”

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