Mark Zuckerberg
Photographer: Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Photographer: Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook Inc., with Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg last week, did little to resolve the rift between the social media giant and the country over proposed changes to media laws.
“Mark Zuckerberg has not convinced me to return, if that’s what you’re asking for,” Frydenberg said Sunday in the program “Insiders” of Australian Broadcasting Corp. The billionaire “reached out to talk about the code and the impact on Facebook” in what the treasurer called “a very constructive discussion”.
Technical giants from Facebook to Google from Alphabet Inc., Australian lawmakers have wrestled over the proposed legislation requiring them to pay for the use of media content. The new laws are designed to support the local media industry, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which has struggled to adapt to the digital economy.
Facebook has threatened to stop Australians from sharing news on its platform if the law is passed, while Google has said it could remove its search engine completely from the Australian market.
Frydenberg said Sunday that while he does not reject Google’s threats, he is not “intimidated” by them either.
Australia says ‘inevitable’ Google will have to pay for news
“We’ve been in detailed discussions with Google, with Facebook and with the other players in the industry, because it was not a brief conversation we had with these companies,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also spoke to Microsoft Corps CEO Satya Nadella about the proposed changes, Frydenberg said.
“At every step of the way, these businesses have been consulted,” the treasurer said. “What I do know is that media matters have to be paid for content.”
Google threatens to remove search as Australia deepens