Meta is threatening to remove news off Facebook in the US if Congress approves legislation aimed at assisting publishers' groups in negotiating compensation from tech corporations.
This, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), is a similar threat that has been made to governments throughout the globe.
Backlash from Facebook
As part of a longer statement denouncing the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, Meta tweeted on Monday, Dec. 5, "If Congress passes an ill-considered journalism bill as part of national security legislation, we will be forced to consider removing news from our platform altogether rather than submit to government mandated negotiations that unfairly disregard any value we provide to news outlets through increased traffic and subscriptions."
Meta statement on the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act: pic.twitter.com/kyFqKQw7xs
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) December 5, 2022
People familiar with the subject said Facebook's remark followed a recent move in which the news-oriented legislation was linked to the National Defense Authorization Act, a law focused on national security.
After the legislation was introduced in Australia's parliament last year that would force Facebook and Alphabet's Google to discuss paying traditional media firms for content, Facebook blocked news from its site in Australia for several days.
Similar restrictive laws are being considered in Canada, and the firm has vowed to take action there, as well.
With the help of the Australian government, Facebook was able to negotiate revisions to the legislation that ultimately became law. Later on, Facebook reinstated news on its platform in the country.
In Favor of the Media Sector
This week, New Zealand joined the conversation over whether or not major digital corporations earn too much from the news published on their platforms.
The government of New Zealand has said that its plan would be modeled after Australian law and similar legislation adopted in Canada. Reportedly, it is intended to encourage digital platforms to negotiate mutually beneficial arrangements with regional media outlets.
To help smaller publishers bargain for remuneration when tech giants like Facebook and Google exploit their material, a measure in the US would establish an arbitration mechanism structured like baseball, similar to Australia's.
Some executives in the media industry have expressed concern that smaller, local news outlets lack the clout and resources to bargain with multinational technology corporations.
While newspaper chains and television station organizations may profit from the bill, large national sources like the WSJ and The New York Times would not be protected.
Progress?
A Senate committee recently passed the law, but its progress was stalled when Democrats and Republicans started fighting over the bill's treatment of content moderation during an earlier meeting.
Meanwhile, Meta has already started notifying American publishers that it would no longer pay them to have their work included on the service's "news" page.
According to the WSJ, Google is developing its own product that pays publishers to showcase their material. However, its US launch has been delayed due to halted discussions with several media sites.
Apparently, some American publishers have been hesitant to accept Google licensing arrangements. They believe the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act provides a more favorable framework within, which is to negotiate fees.
