CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s government has condemned Facebook for its surprise move to prevent Australians from sharing news that also blocked some government communications and commercial pages. Australian officials say Facebook retaliated after the House of Representatives passed a law that would make Facebook and Google pay for Australian journalism. The legislation must be passed by the Senate to become law. Google and Facebook fear Australia’s proposed law will become an expensive precedent that other countries will follow. Google had threatened retaliation, too, but that threat is fading after it made deals with News Corp. and other Australian publishers.
In surprise move, Facebook blocks news access in Australia
