AUSTRALIA IS IMPLEMENTING NEW RULES FOR GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK
Australia is implementing new rules for Google and Facebook to pay media outlets regarding the use of news content. According to the news in CNN, regulators enacted the draft law necessary for the two tech giants to pay compensation to news publishers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will allow media outlets to negotiate individually or collectively with Facebook and Google, and arbitration can be intervened if an agreement cannot be reached within three months. If this stage is passed, a referee will review the offers from both parties and resolve them within 45 business days.
The law will first be subjected to public consultation. It will then be submitted to the vote of lawmakers in the Australian Parliament. "There is a fundamental power imbalance in terms of bargaining between media businesses and major digital platforms," said ACCC President Rod Sims. News publishers have little talent in the bargaining payment. ” Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that the draft law was carefully followed internationally, "The law we prepared has attracted the attention of many regulatory agencies and governments around the world."
The draft law currently only covers Google and Facebook. However, according to ACCC, other digital platforms will be added in the future. Facebook and Google have been disagreeing with publishers for years about how to view their content. Media companies argue that the two tech giants must pay them. There had been months of controversy for an arrangement on the subject in Australia.
Both sides are interdependent. Digital platforms need publishers to fill search results and to provide local news to users up-to-date and reliably. Media organizations depend on digital platforms to direct the masses to their sites. Australia's law requires Google to pay if news appears in search results and in places like Youtube, even if it disables the 'news' tab.