SYDNEY: Meta said on Friday it will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in France, Australia and Germany. Meta said that they will not enter into new commercial deals for traditional news content in these countries and will not offer new Facebook products, particularly for news publishers in the future.
Facebook’s parent business, Meta, and Australia have often disagreed over the latter’s demand that it pay publishers for news content.
Australia’s assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, criticized Meta’s decision, stating, “Meta’s decision to no longer pay for news content in several jurisdictions represents a dereliction of its commitment to the sustainability of Australian news media.”
The government is seeking guidance from the Treasury and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission regarding its next actions.
Meta Platforms announced it would cease payments to Australian news publishers for content appearing on Facebook, sparking a fresh dispute with Canberra, which pioneered a law mandating internet giants to negotiate licensing agreements.
Both news publishers and governments, including Australia, argue that tech giants like Facebook and Google unfairly profit from news links on their platforms.
Under Australia’s legislation, the government must now determine whether to appoint its mediator to establish Meta’s fees in a new round of agreements. Google’s media licensing agreements mainly ran for five years, expiring in 2026. A spokesperson stated that the company has already initiated negotiations for the renewal of these agreements. Approximately 22 million of Australia’s 26 million inhabitants are Facebook users.
