Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Facebook is back in negotiations with the government after the technology platform decided to ban users in Australia from sharing news content.
“What I’m happy about is that Facebook is back at the table. And that’s what we want to see, ”said Morrison at a press conference Saturday morning local time. “We want to solve this problem. So I welcome the fact that they are getting back in touch with the government, as they should. “
The company has “made friends with us again for now,” he joked.
The comments mark the latest development in a back and forth between Sydney and Facebook on a bill that would require the platform to pay publishers for content.
Facebook announced this week that it would limit Australian publishers’ ability to share or post content on its pages and restrict Australian users from viewing or sharing links and posts from international publishers.
Morrison came out against the proposal, urging Facebook to reverse its decision.
“The idea of shutting down the kind of sites they were doing yesterday as some sort of threat – well, I know how Australians react to that and I didn’t think that was a good move on their part,” Morrison said Friday.
“Those actions were completely indefensible”, he added on Saturday.
The impact of the law on Australia’s relations with major technology platforms is drawing the attention of lawmakers in other countries who are considering their own regulatory action.
While Facebook took a firm stance against the law, Google entered into agreements with News Corp and Australia’s Seven West Media for content.