Australia wants to be the first country in the world to force tech giants by law to allow the media to share in their sales. Specifically, it is about Facebook and Google paying money in the form of license fees for media content that is shared on their pages. Facebook warned, arguing that if the law were to pass, Australians would be prevented from sharing news content.
According to this, social media giants such as Facebook will in future pay for messages that they take over from traditional media. ‘If this bill really becomes law, then we will no longer allow publishers and people in Australia to share local and international news on Facebook,” warned the CEO on Tuesday in a blog post. Australia’s government wants the law to ensure that media houses are paid for the use of their content. It should be adopted by the end of the year. Google had already warned the Australian government in August that it would lose free access to internet searches. The law could dramatically worsen searches on Google too for Australian users, warned the US company.
The Law May Harm Australia’s Media
The government has been negotiating with Facebook and Google for months to find an amicable solution. Treasury Secretary said the bill is of national interest and will strengthen the local media industry. Australia’s online advertising market is around 6 billion dollars and has grown more than eight fold for almost 15 years.
Unlike the European advances in ancillary law, the Australian model provides for a negotiable compensation for the publishers that is not necessarily linked to actual coverage. The basis for this is the assumption that the advertising revenues of the platforms are based to a considerable extent on the use of journalistic content.
