Facebook reaches an agreement with Murdoch Media in Australia

“The deal with Facebook is a milestone in shaping the framework for the press, which will have a significant and significant impact on our Australian news business,” News Corp boss Robert Thompson said Tuesday.

Andrew Hunter, Facebook’s Australian news partner, said the deal would give News Corp a network of newsrooms in all cities and rural areas, providing access to premium news articles and key news in video format across the country’s 17 million users. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the social media company did not disclose further details about the deal.

In Australia, a new law now requires Internet sites to pay for media content that brings users and advertising revenue to their sites.

Facebook in particular has been harshly critical of the rules. The controversy escalated when the world’s largest Internet network blocked all media links and many government and disaster sites.

Australia was the first country to pass such a law. Governments around the world have been looking for ways to control the influence of American technology companies for years.