DistantNews
Support us
🇫🇷 France /Economy & Trade

Meta calls Australian media payment law 'grossly unfair'

From Le Figaro · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Meta has strongly criticized Australia's proposed legislation requiring tech giants to pay local media for content.
  • The company argues the law is "grossly unfair," discriminatory, and economically incoherent, failing to ensure a diverse and sustainable news sector.
  • Australia's bill aims to compel Meta, Google, and TikTok to negotiate payment deals with news outlets or face compensation fees based on revenue.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has vehemently denounced Australia's proposed legislation designed to compel major technology platforms to pay local news organizations for their content. The tech giant labeled the bill "grossly unfair" and argued it is poorly conceived, discriminatory, and economically unsound.

This law is poorly conceived, grossly unfair, and will not guarantee a diverse and sustainable news sector.

— MetaDescribing the Australian proposed legislation in a press release.

"This law is poorly conceived, grossly unfair, and will not guarantee a diverse and sustainable news sector," Meta stated in a press release. "We strongly oppose this legislation." The company further asserted that the bill is "discriminatory, economically incoherent, and will not ensure the sustainable news sector that Australian journalists and the public deserve."

Unveiled in late April, the Australian government's draft law aims to encourage Meta, Google, and TikTok to reach commercial agreements with Australian media outlets. If these platforms fail to strike such deals, they will be required to pay a compensation fee. This initiative comes as traditional media outlets globally struggle for survival amid a growing trend of readers turning to free social media platforms for news. A study from the University of Canberra indicates that over half of Australians now use social media to access information.

We strongly oppose this legislation.

— MetaStating the company's official stance on the Australian bill.

Proponents of the bill, which is slated for parliamentary discussion later this year, argue that platforms like Meta attract users with news content and capture advertising revenue that should rightfully belong to the media producers. The Australian government has specified that if negotiations fail, the tech giants could face a payment equivalent to 2.25% of their revenue in Australia, with these funds intended for redistribution to the news sector.

It is discriminatory, economically incoherent, and will not ensure the sustainable news sector that Australian journalists and the public deserve.

— MetaFurther elaborating on the company's objections to the proposed law.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Figaro in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog