This is what Australian Facebook users experienced during the eight days Facebook banned national news from its platform. Lately, Google and Facebook can share the effort, split strategies, and raise the pressure when bargaining with publishers and governments. When the digital platforms denied their agreement on a voluntary code, a mandatory bargaining code became the best option. In fact, facilitating one-to-one agreements between digital platforms and publishers backs a “divide-and-rule” approach steered by the platforms. Consequently, big media companies can try to be more self-confident when negotiating with Google and Facebook because they might be more self-sufficient than believed.

Source: National Post March 12, 2021 10:52 UTC