Facebook to Resume Australian News Service Soon

5 Days After Complete Service Shutdown

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Facebook, which had completely suspended news services in Australia over the issue of paying news content usage fees, is set to resume its services.

According to CNBC on the 22nd (local time), Facebook plans to resume news services in Australia within a few days. This comes five days after the complete suspension of the service.

A Facebook representative stated in a press release, "The Australian government has acknowledged the role our platform plays in contributing to news organizations," adding, "After close communication with the government, we were able to agree on guaranteeing this role."

Specifically, the Australian government agreed to guarantee a prior consultation period without government intervention while news copyright agreements are made between news organizations and digital platform companies such as Facebook. Additionally, a "prior notice period" of at least one month was established to notify platform companies in advance when the government reviews whether to enforce measures compelling payment of copyright fees.

A government official said, "Through this agreement, we were able to further enhance the transparency of the platform company regulation bill."

Earlier, when the Australian government pushed a bill to compel global digital platform companies like Facebook to pay fees for using news content, Facebook blocked news services in Australia on the 17th. In response, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison criticized the move as a "very arrogant decision," escalating the controversy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.