CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Facebook has announced it has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing news on the platform because of proposed laws in the country to make digital giants pay for journalism.
The company said Thursday in a statement that Australian publishers can continue to publish news content on Facebook, but links and posts can’t be viewed or shared by Australian audiences.
Australian users cannot share Australian or international news. International users outside also cannot share Australian news.
The Australian Parliament is debating proposed laws that would make Google and Facebook make deals to pay for Australian news.
Google is quickly negotiating generous deals with Australian media companies to pay for journalism. News Corp. announced a wide-ranging deal Wednesday. Seven West Media reached a deal earlier, and its rival Nine Entertainment is reportedly close to its own pact.
