Australia Is in Talks With Zuckerberg Over Facebook News Ban

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies via video conference duri
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Australian officials are reportedly in talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after the social media platform made the decision to ban all news content in Australia in response to new legislation that would force tech giants to pay news publishers.

Forbes reports that Australian Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has revealed that the country is in talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg after Facebook chose to ban all news content in Australia in response to new legislation that would force the firm to pay news publishers.

Breitbart News recently reported that the Facebook pages of several Australian agencies like the Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Fire and Emergency Services Western Australia, and the health department pages of multiple Australian states including South Australia, NSW, and Queensland have been taken down by Facebook.

The move comes shortly after Facebook implemented a ban on all news content in Australia in response to recently proposed legislation that would force tech giants like Facebook and Google to compensate publishers for accessing their content.

Speaking to Australia’s Nine News, Frydenberg stated that Australia is dedicated to enacting its new legislation, saying: “We are not backing down, no. We’re implementing this code, and that’s the clear message. We want these digital giants to pay for original content. That’s what Google’s doing, and we welcome those deals that they have struck.”

Frydenberg added that he is continuing talks with Zuckerberg, stating: “I made it very clear that I was not only disappointed with their actions but the way they did It because we didn’t get any advance notice of what they were doing.”

He added that he would continue to speak with Zuckerberg, saying: “With respect to going forward, I will hear Mark (Zuckerberg) out, and if he puts some ideas to us and they’re reasonable, then I will talk, obviously, through that with the Prime Minister and our colleagues. We’ll see if there’s a pathway forward, but the government’s resolve has hardened to implement this code.”

Read the full interview at Nine News here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com

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