Australia passes law making Facebook and Google pay for news

The legislation could provide a framework for other countries looking to address platforms’ dominant position.

Australia’s parliament passed landmark legislation on Thursday requiring global technology giants to pay for the news content shared on their platforms, in a move that is being closely watched around the world. The law was passed after a last-gasp deal that watered down binding rules Facebook and Google had fiercely opposed and which last week prompted Facebook to remove all news from its Australian platform. “The code will ensure that news media businesses are fairly remunerated for the content they generate, helping to sustain public-interest journalism in Australia,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said in a joint statement. The rules will be reviewed after a year.