CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s government has condemned Facebook over its shocking 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 needs to be passed by the Senate before it becomes law. Google and Facebook fear Australia’s proposed law will become an expensive precedent 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.
