Facebook blinked

Facebook will lift its ban on news content for Australian users which had been in effect since 17 February, the social media giant said in a statement.

The ban was in response to the Australian government’s move to have FB and other tech giants like Google pay for news content culled from companies based in Australia.

FB’s announcement was seen in Australia as a victory touched off by the backlash generated by the ban.

The Australian government confirmed it talked with FB and that the two parties had come to an agreement.

An Australian code on the operations of social media platforms had been amended to include a two-month negotiation period between news publishers and tech companions on payment terms.

Australian news ban to be lifted after backlash.

In case no agreement is reached within the time frame, an independent arbitrator will step in to break an impasse.

Google has also threatened to block search engine operations in Australia if a “pay for news” law is passed.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has been supportive of Australia’s initiative as it asked governments, including that of the United States, to follow suit.

“We are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to several changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them,” Facebook said.

Still, Facebook has not closed the door on its option to reinstate the ban, saying the Australian government has acknowledged its right to do so.

FB vice president of Global News Partnerships, Campbell Brown said that, “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.”