Facebook will retract its ban of news items on its platform in Australia after a deep public outcry led by the government.
The company announced Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with the Australian government over the passing of proposed legislation that would force it to pay media outlets for content used on its website.
The decision to lift the ban comes after an exodus of Australian users from Facebook's platform last week. Facebook completely removed all news content on its platform for Australian users after the country's House of Representatives passed the draft law.
Facebook's actions sparked outrage in the country as it had also removed access to government pandemic, emergency, and public health services for all Australian users. Google previously also threatened to pull out its services if the law was passed but the company never went through with its plans.
Facebook's decision to lift the ban is being considered a major victory for Australia and for journalism in general. Government officials have been fighting to force major social media platforms such as Facebook and Google to pay for news items they use on their sites.
"There is no doubt that Australia has been a proxy battle for the world. Facebook and Google have not hidden the fact that they know that the eyes of the world are on Australia, and that is why they have sought to get a code here that is workable," Australia's federal treasurer and leader of the Liberal Party, Josh Frydenberg, said.
Frydenberg said that Facebook had agreed to lift the ban if there were certain amendments made to the legislation. This included a required one-month notice to all digital platforms to allow for more time for payment negotiations. Under the law, an arbitration panel will have the final say in case both parties do not agree on payment terms.
Facebook's head of global news partnerships, Campbell Brown, said that the amendments to the law should allow it to choose which publishers it will be working with.
"We're restoring news on Facebook in Australia in the coming days. Going forward, the government has clarified we will retain the ability to decide if news appears on Facebook so that we won't automatically be subject to a forced negotiation," Brown said.
