Facebook lifts Australian news ban

The social media company will let users in the country share news again after a late agreement to amend a proposed law compelling online platforms to pay publishers.

The deal will give Facebook more time to negotiate with publishers before being forced into government-run arbitration.

“After further discussions with the Australian government, we have come to an agreement that will allow us to support the publishers we choose to, including small and local publishers,” Campbell Brown, the company’s head of news partnerships, said in a statement.

The reverse comes less than a week after Facebook cut off news in Australia in advance of the bill’s passage and highlights the Silicon Valley giant’s influence.