Tech giant Meta on Thursday criticised Australia’s proposed laws requiring social media platforms to pay for news, describing the policy as “grossly unfair” and “poorly designed”.
Traditional media organisations worldwide have faced growing pressure as audiences increasingly consume news through social media platforms.
Australia’s draft legislation seeks to compel major tech companies to compensate local publishers for news content shared on their platforms that drives user traffic.
“Our position is clear: this law is poorly designed, grossly unfair, and will fail to deliver a diverse and sustainable news industry,” said Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
“We are vehemently opposed to this legislation. It is discriminatory, economically incoherent, and will not deliver the sustainable news sector that Australian journalists and audiences deserve.”
Under the proposed framework, companies including Meta, Google and TikTok would be encouraged to negotiate content deals with Australian publishers. If no agreement is reached, they could be subject to a mandatory levy of up to 2.25 per cent of their Australian revenue.
The draft law is aimed at preventing platforms from distributing news content without compensating publishers.
When similar measures were floated in 2024, Meta temporarily restricted access to news content for users in Australia, including disabling its “News” tab.
Supporters of the policy argue that social media platforms benefit significantly from news content, which drives engagement and advertising revenue that would otherwise support struggling newsrooms.
A study by the University of Canberra found that more than half of Australians now rely on social media as a source of news.
The legislation is expected to be introduced to parliament later this year.
AFP
