Facebook is making plans to stop the distribution of local and international news stories on its social media platforms. If only legislation requiring tech platforms to pay publishers for content eventually becomes law, the company mentioned in a blog post.
The managing director of Facebook Australia and New Zealand, Will Easton wrote something in a blog post. Disagreeing that the commission controlling the process “ignored important facts”. Not excluding the relationship between news media and social media.
He wrote:
“Australia is drafting a new regulation that misunderstands the dynamics of the internet. And will do damage to the very news organizations the government is trying to protect”.
Easton continued:
” Assuming this draft code becomes law. We will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram”. ” This is not our first choice – it is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt. Not help the long-term vibrancy of Australia’s news and media sector”.
The proposed News Media Bargaining Code law of the country, which is in the form of a draft presently. Developed from a 2019 investigation that brought about tech giants like Google and Facebook take too much a share of online advertising revenue from media organizations in Australia.
Australia’s Treasurer instructed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to create a self-imposed code of conduct. Which would make the platforms to pay media companies. The ACCC mentioned to the government that it seemed “unlikely” that a voluntary agreement could be however reached.
Google and Facebook to provide publishers with advance notice of change
Under the proposed legislation, Google and Facebook would have to supply publishers with further notice of changes to their algorithms. With punishment for not agreeing to comply. Both Facebook and Google have pushed back in opposition to this provision. Facebook who mentioned that it would give an unjust competitive advantage to news organizations in Australia.
Will Easton wrote in a post that news signifies a fragment of what those using Facebook see in their news feed. And is “not a significant source of revenue” for the company. Also, in addition to contributing ” millions of dollars” in Australian news businesses, Easton added. “Over the first five months of 2020, we sent 2.3 billion clicks from Facebook’s News Feedback. To the Australian news website at no charge. Additional traffic worth an estimated AUD 200 million to Australia. publishers”.
Initially, in this month, Google published an open letter concerning the proposed law. And it included a pop-up to its homepage in Australia. Alarming that “the way Aussies use Google is at risk” and that the regulation could harm their search experience. The law, Google disagreed, ” is set up to give big media companies special treatment. And to encourage them to make enormous and unreasonable demands that would put our free services at risk”.
The ACCC
The ACCC pushed backed pronouncing that Google’s letter contains ” misinformation”. It also added that “a healthy news media sector is essential to a well-functioning democracy”.
The Guardian’s report
The Guardian reported:
Media companies in Australia have very well supported the proposed changes by Facebook. Australia’s newspapers and media outlets, like their fellow match in other countries, have been hit hard by the economic deterioration. Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Big Australian media companies have told staff to pay cuts in current months. And a lot of newspapers were mainly centered on stopping production due to the sharp decrease in advertising revenue.
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