MONITORING (SW) – Australia’s Center-left government plans to unveil new rules that could impose fines on Big Tech companies if they refuse to continue to pay Australian media firms for news content hosted on their platforms, local media reported.
Under the proposed new rules, any internet company that refuses to negotiate with publishers or removes news from its platform, as Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab did in Canada, would be forced to pay regardless, reports said.
There has been no immediate comment from Australia’s Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s office, Meta, or Google.
Australia in 2021 passed laws to make the U.S. tech giants, such as Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and Meta, compensate media companies for the links that drive readers – and advertising revenue – to their platforms. The government has the power to set the fees if negotiations fail.
Meta struck deals with several Australian media firms including News Corp (NWSA.O), opens new tab and national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corp but has since said it will not renew those arrangements beyond 2024, reported Reuters.
Meta, which also owns Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, has been scaling back its promotion of news and political content to drive traffic and says news links are now a fraction of users’ feeds. It has said it would discontinue a tab on Facebook promoting news in Australia.
