Facebook Puts New Restrictions On Australian Publishers, Readers

Facebook Inc FB has announced changes to the news publishing and sharing functions for its Australian users.

What Happened: In a corporate blog post, the company announced Australian news organizations can publish news content on Facebook, but Australian readers will not be able to view or share the posts and links to these stories.

Facebook users outside of Australia will not be able to view or share Australian news content on Facebook or content from Australian news pages.

Why It Happened: The new restrictions come as the Australian parliament is considering legislation that would require Facebook and Alphabet’s GOOGL Google to pay news publishers for content. Google has responded proactively by creating its News Showcase that will feature content licensed from Australian and international media resources.

“The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content," said William Easton, managing director for Facebook Australia & New Zealand, in a corporate blog. "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.”