Morrison is expanding its army to fight against Facebook.
Australia has reached India with a number of countries, including Canada, France and the UK, with the aim of uniting the global against tech giant Google and Facebook because of its recent face off for asking for compensation for sharing content from media companies on their platforms.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison summoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, and later said they were "discussing progress" on Australia's "News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code Bill 2020". Under the proposed law - News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code Bill 2020 - Australia seeks to authorize negotiation code aimed at forcing Google and Facebook to compensate media companies for using their content. The law is closely monitored around the world, as it sets an example in regulating the media around the world.
While Google has agreed to pay news organizations in Australia, Facebook has decided to suspend national content from the country on social media. From Monday, the Bill will be debated in the Australian Senate, which is expected to pass the bill by the end of the week. It has already been passed by the lower house of the Australian Parliament.
Morrison said the world war to make Facebook pay for news content could go global as he had "promising" talks with other world leaders. He said he had spoken to Modi and Justin Trudeau of Canada about the ban. French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also "watched" as Australia battled Facebook, Morrison said.
“It's good to talk to my best friend PM @narendramodi again. As Partners of the Strategic Plan, we can work together on common challenges including # COVID19, the global economy, the oceans and the open, secure and effective Indo-Pacific. We also discussed the progress of our media bill, ”Morrison said in response to Modi's tweet that did not comment on the proposed legislation.
Modi had said, “I spoke to my best friend PM @ SccMorrisonMP today. It reaffirms our commitment to uniting our co-operative strategic partnership. Regional issues of similar interest were also discussed. I look forward to working together for peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific. ” It is not uncommon for leaders to set priorities in their country when reading similar calls. While the Media Bill was important to Morrison, Modi had emphasized the Indo-Pacific as a key takeaway, especially with Quad Foreign Ministers holding the summit.
Prior to the law, Google and Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp entered into an agreement earlier this week that will see Google pay NewsCorp for premium content. The deal is marked by one of the broader agreements between the big tech and media house. Google is also trying to collaborate with major publishers in the UK, Germany, Brazil and Argentina.
In India, policymakers have so far focused on the domination of mediators such as Google and Facebook, which have been positioned in such a way that service providers cannot access customers without these platforms. However, a very important discussion on the impact of mediation platforms on the lives of media outlets is yet to begin in any meaningful way.
Complaining about Facebook, Morrison said in a post on Thursday: "Facebook's actions to remove Australia's friendship today, cutting off important health information resources and emergency services, have been arrogant and disappointing. I will keep in touch with foreign leaders on these issues. ”
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