Facebook strikes deal in Australia

I spoke with Lana Zak from CBS News about the amendments to the Australian media bargaining code and what Facebook’s news blackout means for its users beyond Australia’s borders. You can access the interview here. I don’t support the law the Australian government is trying to pass – I think there are better ways to support journalism than to incentivize a wealth transfer from Big Tech to Big Media — but I nonetheless object to the way that Facebook lodged its protest against the proposed law. It is good to see that it is now walking back its news blackout, but the fact that it did it in the first place is a reminder of how the tech giant is willing to exercise its power to the detriment of vulnerable communities when its business model is under threat.