General
US President asks Australia to scrap proposed laws to make Facebook, Google pay for news
The US has asked Australia to scrap proposed laws that would make it the first country in the world to force Facebook and Google to pay for news sourced from local media outlets.
Key points:
- A letter from the US President’s office said the bargaining code could “result in harmful outcomes”
- Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Government was committed to implementing the code
- In response to the code, the tech giants have threatened to remove Australians’ ability to post news content to its platforms
In a submission asking the Government to “suspend” the plans, assistant US trade representatives Daniel Bahar and Karl Ehlers suggested Australia instead “further study the markets, and if appropriate, develop a voluntary code”.
Under the law, which…
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