Facebook threatens to block news on Australian sites

Facebook Inc on Monday said it would stop allowing news publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram if a proposed regulation on news content sharing being drafted by the Australian government becomes law.

“This is not our first choice – it is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australia’s news and media sector,” Facebook said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Australian government said in July it would require tech giants like Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google to pay for news content provided by media companies under a royalty-style system that will become law this year.