Australians will soon have access to news content on Facebook again , following an agreement reached between the social network and the Australian authorities this Tuesday at the end of several days of arm wrestling . Last Thursday, Facebook had indeed decided to carry out its threat to block access to Australian information on its platform, as a result of the possible adoption of a new law currently being debated in the Australian Senate.
Facebook is contesting this device which aims to correct the imbalances of bargaining power between the news media in thestraliens and major digital platforms. The management of the social network said last week that it ignored the realities of its relationship with publishers and creators of news content.
Tense, relations have just warmed between Canberra and the management of Facebook. "The government has been told by Facebook that it intends to restore Australian news pages in the coming days," said Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher in a statement released on Tuesday . "Facebook will now engage in good faith negotiations with business players," the treasurer added at a press conference.
Peace Agreement
In a blog post, Facebook's managing director for Australia and New Zealand, William Easton, indicates that the news content will be restored in the coming days. "We are pleased to have been able to reach an agreement with the Australian government and appreciate the constructive discussions we have had with the authorities over the past week," he wrote.
"After d Further discussions, we are pleased that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our primary concerns about being allowed to enter into trade deals that recognize the value our platform brings to publishers over. to the value we receive from them. With these changes, we can now work to continue our investment in public interest journalism and restore information on Facebook to Australians in the coming days, "argues the head of the social network.
The Australian authorities have madeto know that the negotiations with Facebook had resulted in new amendments which should be added to the text of the law currently under consideration in the Australian Parliament. The first makes it clear that the decision to designate a platform under the code must take into account that a digital platform has made a significant contribution to the sustainability of the Australian news industry by reaching a deal. trading with news media companies.
Several amendments
Code will apply primarily to Google and Facebook, the treasurer can designate other companies under the new code of law desired by Canberra. The second amendment also provides for a digital platform to be notified of the government's intention to put it on notice before any decision, at the earliest one month before the start of it.
"Non-differentiation provisions will not be ptriggered because trade agreements have resulted in different amounts of compensation or different business outcomes as part of normal business practices, ”reads the Third Amendment. The fourth and final amendment states that final arbitration is the last resort when trade agreements cannot be reached through mediation.
"A period of up to two months is provided for for mediation before the formal arbitration process. There is already a three-month period for a negotiation and if it is unsuccessful, it changes to a two-month period for negotiation before final offer arbitration, ”said Josh Frydenberg during of a press conference.
“There is no doubt that Australia has been a proxy battle for the world. I have no doubt that so many other countries are watching what is happening here in Australia because of this innovative code. "LThe minister stressed that the government will also bring its on Facebook. Instead of going ahead with the threat of removing its search engine, Google signed a number of deals with media organizations in Australia, boasting on Monday that they have Google News Showcase deals with over 50 Australian titles.
Source: HFrance.com
