Australia to make Google and Facebook pay for news content
PTI, Apr 20, 2020, 8:22 AM IST
Canberra; Global digital platforms Google and Facebook will be forced to pay for news content in Australia, the government said on Monday, April 20 as the coronavirus pandemic causes a collapse in advertising revenue.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that the competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, known as ACCC, would release in late July draft rules for the platforms to pay fair compensation for the journalistic content siphoned from news media.
Frydenberg said that he believed that Australia could succeed where other countries, including France and Spain, had failed in making Google and Facebook pay.
“We’re very conscious of the challenges and complexity of ensuring a mandatory code. Many other countries have tried it without much success,” Frydenberg told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “We think we can be world-leading.”
“We do want the rules of the digital world to reflect as much as possible the rules of the physical world,” he added.
The ACCC had attempted to negotiate a voluntary code by which the global giants would agree to pay traditional media for their content. But the parties couldn’t agree on “this key issue of payment for content,” Frydenberg said.
Google was netting 47 percent of online advertising spending excluding classified ads in Australia, and Facebook was claiming 24 percent, he said.
Google and Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Media companies have stopped printing dozens of newspaper mastheads across Australia because the pandemic shutdown has caused advertisers to stop spending.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Deep-tech drives growing patenting patterns in India; highest filings in Tamil Nadu: Study
Don’t blame Dubai’s freak rain on cloud seeding
ISRO Gears Up to Test Critical Parachute Safety of Gaganyaan
Indian students bag NASA awards for Human Exploration Rover Challenge
‘Mastering the Data Paradox’: Book uncovers pivotal role of data in AI age
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Patanjali Foods to evaluate proposal to buy Patanjali Ayurved’s non-food business
Congress to discuss candidates for Amethi, Raebareli seats on Saturday
BJP’s CT Ravi Booked for Promoting Hatred and Enmity Through Social Media Post
Elections held in 14 LS segments in Karnataka, voter turnout nearly 64 per cent till 5 pm
‘PM is scared, may even shed tears on stage’: Rahul Gandhi’s fresh salvo at Modi