Facebook blocks the publication of news in Australia and Google signs an agreement with Rupert Murdoch

02/18/2021 12:25 PM

• Clarín.com

• Technology

Updated 02/18/2021 12:25 PM

Facebook reported on Thursday that it will

block journalistic content

in Australia, in retaliation for a bill that seeks to force it to share its income with the media, while

Google announced an agreement with the

News Corp.

media system

in response to the regulatory initiative of the oceanic country.

"The proposed law

fundamentally

misinterprets

the relationship between our platform and the media that use it to share news content," said Facebook manager for Australia and New Zealand

William Easton

, the AFP news agency reported.

Australia is about to pass legislation that

requires digital companies to pay for news content

, something that would create a global precedent.

"It left us with a tough choice: to try to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or to stop allowing informational content on our services in Australia. It is with great regret that we are choosing the latter," Easton added.

Rupert Murdoch, media mogul who owns Fox News and other companies.

Reuters photo

Facebook's move is in contrast to Google's, which in recent days brokered deals with media groups, including Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., in response to regulatory pressure.

Google agreed to make

"significant payments"

to News Corp for content, the two companies said today in a joint statement.

Earlier this week, Australian authorities claimed the two American tech giants

were close to reaching deals

with major Australian media outlets to pay for the news, in order to resolve a clash that is closely followed throughout. the world.

The companies had threatened to partially withdraw services from the country if the regulations became law, sparking a war of words with Australia.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google: the four Big Techs face regulatory problems.

Reuters photo

In a statement, Facebook said that as a result of the new policy, Australians "

cannot view or share

Australian or international news content

on Facebook

."

It also means that people in other parts of the world cannot view or share Australian news content on Facebook.

According to Easton, the social network has tried to convince Australian authorities that "the exchange of values ​​between Facebook and publishers

is in the publishers

'

favor

" and generates hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue for media organizations, he added. AFP.

Instead, Google took the opposite stance and announced today, in a joint statement, its agreement with News Corp. which it called a "

multi-year historic partnership

" that will include the news of the media giant in the Google News link.

Google, in Mountain View, California.

AP Photo

The agreement covers the contents of

The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch and The New York Post

in the United States, as well as the British

The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun

, and several Australian media, including

The Australian.

News Corp. was the last major private media outlet

to reach an agreement and was instrumental in turning the Australian Conservative government against the tech giants.

Australia's competition watchdog maintains that for every

$ 100

spent on online advertising,

Google captures 53, Facebook 28

and the rest is shared among others, depriving the media of the income necessary to support journalism.

This situation is reflected in other parts of the world, where technology platforms are facing increasing pressure to share revenue with the media.

SL

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