After days of negotiation between Facebook and the Australian government, Facebook has walked back its decision to block Australian users from sharing and viewing news.

Proposed amendments to the media bargaining laws include giving Facebook more time to reach an agreement with various news outlets. However, if within the given time frame, a deal could not be reached, both parties would present their proposed deals to an independent moderator- with one being chosen to become binding under law.  

What About Google?

In light of this news, there has been speculation about why Google had agreed to pay some Australian news outlets for their content, while Facebook has not. It comes down to one factor: competition. 

In a constantly evolving digital world, Google faces major competition from other search engines, which would force them to react quickly. On the other hand, with Facebook’s exponential growth, they have something close to a natural monopoly- which gives them more room to move when it comes to negotiations. 

This also places increased pressure on the government to reach an agreement. With over seventeen million Australians using Facebook every four weeks, the government has realised that regardless of whether there is news on the platform, it remains an integral part of the lives of millions of Australians. 

In short? Facebook is here to stay, although negotiations between Facebook and news outlets are still ongoing.