Meta is considering blocking news content from Facebook in Australia if the government makes it pay licensing fees.
Meta is considering blocking news content from the platform in Australia if the government makes it pay licensing fees, a company representative told a parliamentary hearing on Friday.told lawmakers that “all options are on the table” when asked if the company would block Australians from sharing news content to avoid paying fees.
She said Meta was waiting for Canberra to decide if it would apply an untested 2021 law which gives the government the right to set the fees US tech giants pay media outlets for links. It now falls on Australia’s assistant treasurer to decide whether to step in and force Facebook to pay for news content. The assistant treasurer has said he is still collecting advice but that Meta seems to respect the law only when it suits.Australia’s two largest free-to-air television broadcasters, Nine Entertainment and Seven West Media, meanwhile said this week they were cutting jobs, citing loss of revenue once their deals with Meta expire.
Garlick defended Meta’s processes for Australians to complain if they believed the company was spreading harmful misinformation or scams, although she said its content moderation centres were all in other countries.
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