Meta has threatened to remove news from its platform if the US Congress passes a bill aimed at helping news outlets collectively negotiate deals with Big Tech firms. According to the Australian government, a similar law, which took effect in March 2021 has largely worked after talks with Big Tech firms, like Google and Facebook, led to a brief shutdown of Facebook news feeds in the country.
Facebook parent Meta Platforms on Monday threatened to remove news from its platform if the US Congress passes a proposal aimed at making it easier for news organisations to negotiate collectively with companies like Alphabet’s Google and Facebook.
Sources briefed on the matter said lawmakers are considering adding the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act to a must-pass annual defense bill as way to help the struggling local news industry. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone in a tweet said the company would be forced to consider removing news if the law was passed “rather than submit to government-mandated negotiations that unfairly disregard any value we provide to news outlets through increased traffic and subscriptions.
