Facebook said Wednesday it will block users in Australia from accessing news content on its platform, in response to proposed legislation that would force it to pay news publishers in the country.
“The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content,” William Easton, Facebook’s Australia and New Zealand managing director, wrote in a blog post . “It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia. With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter.”
Easton specified that Facebook would restrict people and news organizations from posting news links on Facebook’s platform, including international news content. It will also prevent material from Australian publishers being shared across the world.