Facebook threatens to block sharing of news if Australia moves ahead with controversial law

Facebook is using its platforms to target users in Australia telling them that they will not be able to share any local or international use should the country’s Government go ahead with plans to introduce legislation forcing the company to pay media outlet for using their news content.

Will Easton, Managing Director of Facebook Australia and New Zealand said that this was a drastic last choice but it it intended as a last resort to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australia’s news and media sector.

Google has also expressed its opposition to the proposed legislation, using its homepage to warn that the enactment of this law would harm Australians’ ability to search, with consequences also on usage of Youtube.

The proposal would allow certain media outlets to be able to negotiate directly with Facebook and Google, but the tech giants said that the legislation is unfairly skewed toward publishers, and would force them to pay news companies while the tech firms contend they already do plenty to support them.

Read more via CNN