© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Illustration shows a 3D printed Facebook logo in front of a stock chart
By Sheila Dang (Reuters) – Facebook Inc (NASDAQ 🙂 will restrict publishers and users in Australia from sharing or viewing news content in response to a proposed law that would require it and Alphabet (NASDAQ 🙂 Inc’s will pay publishers for content , the company said in a blog post Wednesday. The law “fundamentally misinterprets” the relationship between technology platforms and publishers, Facebook said, adding that it has helped Australian publishers earn around A $ 407 million last year through referrals. Facebook said Australian users will not be able to read or share news content on the platform, and Australian news publishers will have restrictions on posting or sharing content on Facebook pages. Google has also threatened to shut down its search engine in the country to avoid “unworkable” content laws.