Australia to make Facebook, Google pay for news
Thank you to the several people who have posted a link to the bill itself. I&#x27;ll add to the pile to make it easier to see: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.accc.gov.au&#x2F;system&#x2F;files&#x2F;Exposure Draft EM - NEWS MEDIA AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS MANDATORY BARGAINING CODE BILL 2020.pdf" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.accc.gov.au&#x2F;system&#x2F;files&#x2F;Exposure Draft EM%2...</a><p>There&#x27;s something interesting in there that nobody in this discussion has yet mentioned, nor does the original news article, section 52S:<p><pre><code>    Subsection (2) applies if the registered news
    business corporation for the registered news
    business makes a request, in writing, to the
    responsible digital platform corporation for
    the digital platform service to do any of the
    following:

     (a) ensure that the registered news business
         corporation is provided with flexible
         content moderation tools that allow
         the registered news business corporation
         to remove or filter comments on the registered
         news business’ covered news content that:
      (i) are made using the digital platform service; and
      (ii) are made on a part of the digital platform
           service that is set up and able to be edited
           by the registered news business;

     (b) ensure that the registered news business
         corporation can disable the making of such
         comments;

     (c) ensure that the registered news business
         corporation can block the making of such comments:
      (i) by particular persons; or
      (ii) in particular circumstances.
</code></pre>
If I am reading this correctly (a big if!), this gives the news corporations the right to exert complete control over all &quot;comments&quot; on their news articles on these &quot;digital platform services&quot;, meaning that, for instance, Hacker News or Reddit, if covered by this law, would no longer be independent sites to discuss news, but would be forcibly placed under the control of the news site. (Not sure those sites <i>would</i> be covered, just using that as an example.)<p>So if the newspaper leans X, they can shut down all the comments from people who lean the other way, or people who disagree with the article, or anything they like (possibly subject to other laws, but certainly no restrictions are placed here).<p>That&#x27;s... full of implications, to say the least.