The government thinks Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg will resume talks on the law despite his sudden move to shut down content for millions of his own customers, but it is also preparing for a drawn-out battle if needed.
“They may be changing the world, but that doesn’t mean they should run it,” Mr Morrison said of big tech companies on Thursday, posting his comments on Facebook.
“We will not be intimidated by this act of bullying by BigTech, seeking to pressure parliament as it votes on our important News Media Bargaining Code.
“I am in regular contact with the leaders of other nations on these issues. We simply won’t be intimidated, just as we weren’t when Amazon threatened to leave the country and when Australia drew other nations together to combat the publishing of terrorist content on social media platforms.”
Facebook on Thursday banned the sharing of news from media companies in Australia, but also removed posts from the Bureau of Meteorology, state health departments, fire and rescue services, charities, and crisis services such as Suicide Prevention Australia, 1800Respect and Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence.
The company, which has 17 million users in Australia, responded to a barrage of complaints by conceding it had blundered and promising to restore “inadvertently impacted” pages.
