Australia plans to charge Big Tech millions if they don’t pay local media for news, increasing pressure on platforms like Meta and Google to compensate publishers.
Australia's centre-left government said on Thursday it planned new rules that would charge big tech firms millions of dollars if they did not pay Australian media companies for news hosted on their platforms.
The move piles pressure on global tech giants such as Facebook-owner Meta Platforms and Alphabet's Google to pay publishers for content or face the risk of paying millions to continue operations in Australia.
"The news bargaining initiative will ... will create a financial incentive for agreement-making between digital platforms and news media businesses in Australia," Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones told a press conference.
The platforms at risk will be significant social media platforms and search engines with an Australian-based revenue in excess of $250 million, he said.
The charge will be offset for any commercial agreements that are voluntarily entered into between the platforms and news media businesses, Jones added.
Tech companies condemned the plan.
"The proposal fails to account for the realities of how our platforms work, specifically that most people don't come to our platforms for news content and that news publishers voluntarily choose to post content on our platforms because they receive value from doing so," a Meta spokesman said after Jones' remarks.
The proposed new rules come as Australia toughens its approach to the mostly US-domiciled tech giants, after becoming last month the first country to ban children under the age of 16 from social media.
That move is seen as setting a benchmark for other governments' handling of Big Tech.
Canberra also plans to threaten the companies with fines for failing to stamp out scams.
Google, ByteDance through TikTok, and Meta through its various platforms would fall within the scope of the charges under the new rules. However X, formerly Twitter, would not be covered, Jones said.
BLOCKING NEWS
In 2021, Australia passed laws to make the U.S. tech giants, such as Google and Meta, compensate media companies for the links that lure readers and advertising revenue.
After the move Meta briefly blocked users from reposting news articles, but later struck deals with several Australian media firms, such as News Corp and national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corp.
It has said since it will not renew those arrangements beyond 2024.
Meta, which also owns Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, has been scaling back its promotion of news and political content globally to drive traffic and says news links are now a fraction of users' feeds.
This year it said it would discontinue the news tab on Facebook in Australia and the United States, adding that it had cancelled the tab last year in Britain, France and Germany.
In 2023, Meta blocked users in Canada from reposting news content after its government took similar action.
Australia news organisations, including Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, are expected to benefit from the new rules.
Following Jones' announcement, News Corp Australia Executive Chairman Michael Miller said he would contact Meta and TikTok immediately to seek a commercial relationship with News Corp Australia.
"I believe news publishers and the tech platforms should have relationships that benefit both parties on commercial and broader terms," he said in a statement.
President Donald Trump said his administration will notify countries by 9 July of new U.S. tariff rates, as trade talks with key partners enter their ...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 7th July, covering the latest developments you need to know....
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will impose an additional 10% tariff on any countries aligning themselves with the "Anti-American policies" of th...
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree relieving Roman Starovoit of his duties as Russia’s Minister of Transport, according to an official ann...
The BRICS member countries have reached a new agreement to establish a multilateral financial guarantee mechanism aimed at supporting sustainable deve...
A jury has found Erin Patterson guilty of killing her estranged husband's parents and an aunt by serving them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.
Australia has pledged $283 million to support a green hydrogen project led by explosives manufacturer Orica, aiming to boost renewable energy production and reduce industrial emissions.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
Australia will not raise its defence spending targets despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, choosing instead to follow its own military strategy, Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Thursday.
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck off Japan’s Tokara Islands on Wednesday, with no tsunami warning issued but residents advised to remain vigilant.
The United States has rescinded licensing restrictions on ethane exports to China, allowing shipments to resume after a temporary halt and signalling progress in efforts to ease recent trade tensions.
Italy plans to grant approximately 500,000 work visas to non-EU nationals between 2026 and 2028, as announced in a cabinet statement. The initiative aims to address labor shortages by expanding legal immigration pathways
Following a deadly glacier collapse in Blatten, near the Swiss Alpine village of Kandersteg, the town is on high alert as melting permafrost and shifting rock threaten another potential disaster after it was buried a month ago.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
President Donald Trump said his administration will notify countries by 9 July of new U.S. tariff rates, as trade talks with key partners enter their final days ahead of a 1 August implementation deadline.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 7th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree relieving Roman Starovoit of his duties as Russia’s Minister of Transport, according to an official announcement published on 7 July.
A jury has found Erin Patterson guilty of killing her estranged husband's parents and an aunt by serving them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged Elon Musk to steer clear of politics and prioritise his companies, after the Tesla CEO announced the formation of a new political party in defiance of President Donald Trump.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment