London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

Why has Facebook blocked news in Australia and what does it mean for the rest of the world?

Why has Facebook blocked news in Australia and what does it mean for the rest of the world?

The social media giant has blocked people in Australia from viewing and sharing news on its platform in a row over money.

Facebook has blocked Australians from accessing and sharing news in a fight over internet platforms paying media organisations for content.

Sky News looks into why this has happened and why it matters for the rest of the world.

What has happened and why?


Australians woke up on Thursday to discover they could not access news on their Facebook accounts and people around the world could not post or share links from Australian publications.

Commercial and government communication pages, community support groups, charities and news from emergency services were also inaccessible.

Australian Facebook users are getting this message when they try to share news stories


The US-based social media giant made the move after the Australian House of Representatives approved a law to compel internet companies to pay news organisations.

Facebook said the law, which needs to be passed by the Senate, "fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it".

Powerful tech companies fear the law could set an expensive precedent for other countries as governments try to catch up with the fast-changing digital world.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison used his Facebook page to react, saying: "Facebook's actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services, were as arrogant as they were disappointing."

Facebook accounts for 23% of Australian online advertising revenue while Google accounts for 53%, according to the government's treasurer, Josh Frydenberg.

Why is Australia trying to get internet companies to pay news organisations?


For two decades, global news outlets have complained internet companies are getting rich at their expense by selling advertising linked to their reports without sharing revenue.

The block also impacted Sky News's Facebook page in the UK


The Australian government wants to redress that balance in the hope more money can go to a news industry that is seeing revenue shrink and, in some cases, being forced to cut coverage.

Canberra's competition regulator tried to negotiate a voluntary payment plan with Google but this failed.

The new proposal was then brought forward which would create a committee to make binding decisions on the price of news reports to help give publishers more negotiating leverage with the internet giants.

Has Google agreed to the plan?


The internet tech giant had threatened to retaliate but announced deals in Australia with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Seven West Media, while the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Nine Entertainment are in negotiations.

No financial details were released but this means news companies now have a new revenue stream.

News Corp, which owns Sky News in Australia - separate from Sky News UK - said it would receive "significant payments" from Google under a three-year agreement which also covers its non-Australian publications such as the New York Post, and the Times and the Sun in the UK.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Facebook page was showing without any of its news posts


Does Google's deal translate to more coverage for readers, viewers and listeners?


That remains unclear.

Australia's journalists' union is calling on media companies to make sure online revenue goes into newsgathering "not the boardroom".

Will other countries follow Australia?


The proposed law is the first of its kind, but other countries have been pressuring Google, Facebook and other internet companies to pay news outlets and other publishers for material.

In France, Google had to negotiate with publishers after a court last year upheld an order saying agreements to pay were required by a 2019 European Union copyright directive.

In contrast to the ban, Facebook has launched a News tab in the UK


France is the first government to enforce the rules, but the decision suggests other countries in the 27-nation bloc will enforce the same requirements.

A group of French publishers and Google announced a framework agreement for the search engine to negotiate licensing deals with individual publishers.

Several outlets have deals with Google, including Le Monde newspaper and weekly magazine l'Obs.

Facebook launched a Facebook News tab in the UK after completing deals with many of the country's major news providers, including Sky News, the Financial Times, and The Guardian.

Google shut down its news website in Spain after a 2014 law required it to pay publishers.


And in 2020, Facebook said it would pay US news organisations, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post for headlines. No financial details were released.

Following the Google deal, Mr Frydenberg said he was convinced the platforms "do want to enter into these commercial arrangements".

"It's a massive step forward we have seen this week," he said.

"But if this was easy, every other country in the world would have done it already. But they haven't."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×