Australian publisher calls government on Facebook, regulator concerned

FILE PHOTO: A Facebook logo is displayed on a smartphone in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

SYDNEY (Reuters) -A small Australian publisher is calling for the government to enforce a new law to compel Facebook Inc to negotiate a content deal, prompting the architect of the rule to say he was "concerned" about the social media giant's behaviour.

The petition by academic publisher The Conversation, emailed to its readers at the weekend, reflects a groundswell of disquiet among smaller Australian outlets who have not reached deals with Facebook, as mandated by the new law.