With 77.7% of internet users actively using Facebook, it maintained its position as the most-used social media platform in the country. Additionally, 22% of social media users considered Facebook their favorite platform, further emphasizing its significance. Its web traffic referral rate of 65.82% was the highest among all platforms, showcasing its influence in directing users to other sites. On the digital front, Facebook ranked 3rd among Australia’s top websites, with 224 million visits (Similarweb) and 206 million visits (Semrush).
- You’ll learn more about those settings in the Controlling your privacy settings activity coming up next in this course.
- Its web traffic referral rate of 65.82% was the highest among all platforms, showcasing its influence in directing users to other sites.
- IBISWorld provides profiles on thousands of leading enterprises across Australia and New Zealand, as well as reports on thousands of industries around the world.
- Facebook’s extensive reach in Australia made it a vital platform for businesses, advertisers, and influencers looking to connect with a broad audience.
- It will allow individuals to apply for a base payment if they believe they experienced concern because of the matter and will also provide higher payments to those who can demonstrate they have suffered loss or damage.
- The government is proposing a new tax for large tech platforms, which can be offset if the platforms enter into pay agreements with news outlets.
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In 2025, Facebook continued to be a dominant social media platform in Australia, with 17.2 million users actively engaging with content, communities, and businesses. Despite the rise of newer social media platforms, Facebook maintained its relevance by evolving its features, such as Marketplace, Groups, and Reels, to cater to user preferences. The platform played a crucial role in digital communication, serving as a hub for social interactions, entertainment, and news consumption across different age groups. Facebook remained a dominant social media platform in Australia in 2025, ranking 1st in both total user preference and engagement.
The $50 million in Australia will be the largest settlement paid by Meta over the scandal outside the US. Commissioner Tydd said the payment demonstrated that all entities operating in Australia had to be transparent and accountable in the way they handle personal information. Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said the settlement was the « largest ever payment » dedicated to addressing the privacy concerns in Australia. The agreement will end the legal proceedings as part of the Federal Court action launched by the commissioner in 2020. A strong password means your account will be more secure as strong passwords are very hard to guess.
Facebook, Google and TikTok to fund Australian journalism under new tax plan from government
That means platforms can only reduce the tax to zero and would not be reimbursed beyond that point. « We’ve been calling for action all year — but the government has only announced a policy after Parliament has risen for the year, » shadow ministers Angus Taylor and David Coleman said in a statement. Privacy commissioner Carly Kind, who earlier this year ruled that Bunnings had breached the Privacy Act with its use of facial recognition technology, welcomed the settlement.
« Digital platforms receive huge financial benefits from Australia, and they have a social and economic responsibility to contribute to Australians’ access to quality journalism. » The expiration of those agreements, and Meta’s threat not to renew them, made the government reconsider how to get platforms to pay without spooking them to pull news off their platforms. The commissioner has alleged that the company breached privacy laws by giving the personal information of some Australian Facebook users to the This is Your Digital Life app. The payment to the Australian Information Commissioner announced on Tuesday will be open to users impacted by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook users in Australia could receive a payout after Meta agreed to a historic $50 million settlement with the nation’s information commissioner.
Whenever you want to log into your Facebook account, type facebook.com into your web browser address bar, click on your account name and enter your password. Facebook will use your email address to verify your details when you set up an account, and it may also contact you in the future to alert you to any suspicious behaviour on your account. The government is unsure whether Microsoft (which owns LinkedIn) and Apple will be covered by its $250 million threshold but Wolf Winner Casino is confident it will apply to Alphabet (which owns Google), Meta, and ByteDance (which owns TikTok).
In 2024 Facebook Australia had 125 employees including employees from all subsidiaries under the company’s control. A Google spokesperson said the company had struck agreements with more than 80 Australian media companies since 2021, which they had committed to renew as they expired. Coalition ministers say it has taken the government nine months to respond to Meta « thumbing its nose » at the government, and the question now must be how much longer it will take before social companies are forced to pay. The government has not outlined the details of the size of the tax or the offset, with further negotiations to follow. Tech companies, including Meta, say they’re concerned about the proposal, while Australian media organisations have welcomed it as a positive step. “Today’s settlement represents the largest-ever payment dedicated to addressing concerns about the privacy of individuals in Australia,” Australian Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd said in a statement on Tuesday.