London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 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.

Facebook 'a school yard bully' in Australia


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."

Comments

Oh ya 4 year ago
Grow a pair and dump them all

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×