Meta has strongly criticised proposed Australian legislation that would require major social media platforms to compensate news organisations for content shared on their services, describing the plan as discriminatory and fundamentally flawed. The Facebook and Instagram parent company voiced its opposition on Thursday as Australia moved forward with efforts to……
Meta has strongly criticised proposed Australian legislation that would require major social media platforms to compensate news organisations for content shared on their services, describing the plan as discriminatory and fundamentally flawed.
The Facebook and Instagram parent company voiced its opposition on Thursday as Australia moved forward with efforts to ensure technology firms contribute financially to the country’s news industry.
Under the proposed framework, digital platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok would be encouraged to negotiate commercial agreements with Australian news publishers.
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Companies that decline to reach such agreements could face a mandatory levy equivalent to 2.25 per cent of their Australian revenue.
Australian authorities say the measure is intended to support local journalism and address concerns that technology companies benefit from news content without adequately compensating the organisations that produce it.
Reacting to the proposal, Meta argued that the legislation unfairly singles out a small number of foreign-owned technology companies.
“Our position is clear: this law is poorly designed, grossly unfair, and will fail to deliver a diverse and sustainable news industry,” the company said.
“We are vehemently opposed to this legislation.
“It is discriminatory, economically incoherent, and will not deliver the sustainable news sector that Australian journalists and audiences deserve.”
Meta also described the proposed levy as a targeted tax imposed on selected international firms.
“It is a discriminatory tax, applied only to a handful of foreign companies,” the company stated.
“Call it what it is: a discriminatory, retroactive tax targeting a handful of foreign companies while competitors offering comparable services face no equivalent obligation.”
The draft legislation, unveiled earlier this year, seeks to close what Australian lawmakers view as a loophole that allows social media platforms to avoid payments by simply removing news content from their services.
A similar dispute emerged in 2024 when Australia considered comparable measures, prompting Meta to discontinue access to the dedicated news tab for Australian users.
The company has also previously declined to renew content-sharing agreements with publishers in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Supporters of the Australian proposal contend that social media companies derive significant value from news content, attracting users and advertising revenue that might otherwise support traditional media organisations.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended the government’s position earlier this year, insisting that digital platforms should not be allowed to benefit from journalism without providing compensation.
“Large digital platforms cannot avoid their obligations under the news media bargaining code,” Albanese said in April.
He added that journalism must have a recognised economic value.
“It shouldn’t be able to be taken by a large multinational corporation and used to generate profits with no compensation.”
