Facebook to restore news pages in Australia in coming days

Facebook said it’s working to restore news pages in Australia after reaching an agreement with the government over disputed media legislation.

Restrictions on news sharing on Facebook’s Australian platform should be lifted “in the coming days,” William Easton, managing director of Facebook Australia, said in a statement Tuesday.

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Read/ Listen: [TOP STORY] Australia’s losing battle against online giants

Facebook blocked news pages in Australia last week in opposition to a planned law to force the US company and Google to pay Australian publishers for news content.

The Australian government said Tuesday it had made several changes to the legislation, including giving digital platforms time to reach commercial deals with publishers before forcing them into final-offer arbitration.

“We are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns,” Easton said.

© 2021 Bloomberg