Meta, the company behind Facebook, is thinking about blocking news on its platform in Australia if the government insists on making them pay licensing fees. They mentioned this at a parliamentary hearing last Friday. Mia Garlick, Meta's regional policy director, said they're considering all options, including stopping Australians from sharing news altogether. She pointed out that people have plenty of other ways to get news.
The whole thing hinges on a law from 2021 that lets the Australian government set fees tech giants like Meta have to pay to link to media content. If Australia decides to enforce this law, Meta might take the same tough stance they did in Canada last year.
Initially, Meta struck deals with Aussie media companies like News Corp and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation when the law first came into play. But now they've said they won't renew those deals after 2024. The decision on whether Meta has to pay up now rests with Australia's assistant treasurer, who's still gathering advice on the issue.
Meanwhile, Australia's biggest free-to-air TV broadcasters, Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media, recently announced they're cutting jobs because they expect to lose revenue once their agreements with Meta expire.
When asked if blocking news in Australia would be a way to dodge the law, Garlick argued it would actually be following the law as it's written. She compared it to how Meta follows other laws, like taxes and privacy rules, though she admitted their content moderation centers are based in other countries.
Overall, Meta seems to be taking a hard line on this issue, which could have big implications for how Australians get their news on Facebook in the future.
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