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. The controversy saw the social media giant unlawfully release the personal data of millions of Facebook users worldwide — including Australians — almost a decade ago. A closer look at recent trends shows that Facebook’s growth continued in late 2024, with 300,000 new users added between October 2024 and January 2025—a 1.8% increase in just three months. This indicates that Facebook’s relevance and engagement remained strong among Australian users, maintaining its position as a dominant social media platform.

• A strong password means your account will be more secure as strong passwords are very hard to guess.
• Facebook had argued it was not responsible for allegedly unlawful access to Australians’ personal data in 2014 and 2015.
• The proposed settlement would end a long-running lawsuit prompted by 2018 revelations that Facebook allowed the British political consulting firm to access personal data of millions of users.
• An additional complication is that many of these global companies have long been accused of structuring their tax affairs to “realise” money they make elsewhere in low-taxing countries such as Ireland or Singapore.
• The first round of Meta and Google agreements had provided a substantial revenue stream to major commercial publishers and the ABC, which used its money to add 60 journalists to its regional workforce.
• Additionally, Facebook’s user base covered 66.0% of Australia’s total internet users, demonstrating its continued dominance in the country’s digital landscape.

It comes after Meta agreed to pay $US725 million (about $1 billion) to resolve a class action lawsuit in 2022 over the scandal in the US. Meta will appoint an independent third-party administrator by early next year to notify users who may be eligible. You can add a profile picture and information about yourself, search for people you may know on Facebook, and get to know Facebook’s privacy settings. You’ll learn more about those settings in the Controlling your privacy settings activity coming up next in this course.

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An email will be sent to your email Inbox with a secure code made up of letters and/or numbers, which is used to verify your identity. Once you have read the code, return to the Facebook set up page and carefully enter it into the box provided. An additional complication is that many of these global companies have long been accused of structuring their tax affairs to “realise” money they make elsewhere in low-taxing countries such as Ireland or Singapore.

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“We remain open to direct engagement with international tech companies to accelerate the practical implementation of the government’s proposed approach.” The new tax could be offset on a dollar-for-dollar basis or more by the amount platforms spend on new agreements, making those agreements a cheaper alternative to paying the tax. The landmark payment, announced on Tuesday, will end the legal proceedings, and will be paid out next year to potentially tens of thousands of Australian Facebook users. 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. IBISWorld provides profiles on thousands of leading enterprises across Australia and New Zealand, as well as reports on thousands of industries around the world. Our clients rely on our information and data to stay up-to-date on business and industry trends.

The app was 2nd in the mobile app rankings based on monthly active users, proving its strong presence in mobile engagement. Facebook users spent an average of 17 hours and 30 minutes per month on the app, making it the 3rd most engaging social media app, while its 199 monthly sessions placed it 5th among other social platforms. Lastly, the term “Facebook” was the 8th most searched query on Google Australia, highlighting its sustained relevance in online searches. Facebook’s user base in Australia in 2025 was well-distributed across different age groups, reflecting its broad appeal. The Wolf Winner Online Casino largest demographic was the age group, making up 24.2% of total users (11.8% female, 12.4% male).