Facebook starts negotiation with Australian govt after banning news over new bill

Facebook on Friday entered talks with the Australian government, a day after barring news outlets in the country from posting content on its platform. The American social media behemoth on Thursday barred Australian media outlets and people from posting news content on its platform, a move which came in response to the new proposed legislation that will require Facebook and Google to pay to news organisations for content. According to reports, Facebook has now entered talks with Australian government officials to negotiate the bill. 

Read: Facebook Makes A Power Move In Australia - And May Regret It

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said that he spoke to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, who has reportedly agreed for talks between company representatives and government officials over the weekend. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has earlier urged Facebook to get back to the negotiating table, calling its response "arrogant" and "disappointing". 

Read: Facebook To Provide 'Science-based News' To Tackle Myths, Misinformation On Climate Change

Facebook's move is in response to the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code, which was passed by the lower house of the Australian parliament earlier this week and awaits a debate in the Senate before becoming a law. Facebook on Friday defended its response to the bill, saying the legislation "misunderstands" its relationship with media organisations. 

Read: Australian Leader Urges Facebook To Lift Its News Blockade

Traffic plunges

Meanwhile, several reports suggest that since Facebook has moved to ban the posting of news content on its platform, publishers have recorded a sharp decline in their traffic. The Facebook ban also affected several government pages, including weather services, health department pages, etc, which were later restored after widespread criticism. Facebook is opposing the new bill because it says that unlike Google, publishers voluntarily choose to post content on its platform. Google has already signed agreements with several media outlets. The Facebook ban will also impact the revenue publishers earn via referral.      

Read: Australia PM Slams Facebook For News Blackout, Says It Is 'arrogant' And 'disappointing'