, Columnist
Facebook’s Australia Deal Makes It Look Like a Union-Busting Publisher
The U.S. tech giant says it will retain the right to decide who it deals with, and which publishers can post Down Under.
A step in the editorial direction?
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It seems we have a deal — though the terms are still unclear. At least, Facebook Inc. and the Australian government’s separate announcements Tuesday indicate that the two are on the same page.
Less than a week after suspending news content from its platform in Australia, the U.S. technology giant announced it would restore service. The catalyst for this turnaround was explained in brief statements. The details may end up being crucial to how Facebook operates not only in Australia but around the world. Expect controversy over censorship, bias and publishing to continue.