Mark Zuckerberg
Photographer: Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Photographer: Marlene Awaad / Bloomberg
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg’s meeting with Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg over the past week has done little to resolve the feud between the social media giant and the country over proposed changes to the media laws.
“Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t convinced me to go back, if you ask,” Frydenberg said on Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s “Insiders” program on Sunday. The billionaire “reached out to talk about the code and its impact on Facebook” in what the treasurer called “a very constructive discussion.”
Tech giants from Facebook to Google from Alphabet Inc. fighting Australian lawmakers over 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 is struggling to adapt to the digital economy.
Facebook has threatened to stop Australians from sharing news on its platform if the law passes, while Google said it could remove its search engine from the Australian market completely.
Frydenberg said on Sunday that while he does not dismiss Google’s threats, he is not “intimidated” by them either.
Australia says ‘inevitably’ that Google has to pay for news
“We are in detailed discussions with Google, with Facebook, with the other players in the industry because this is not a short conversation that we have had with these companies,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also spoken with Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella about the proposed changes, Frydenberg said.
“These companies have been consulted every step of the way,” said the treasurer. “What I do know is that media companies have to be paid for content.”
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