Facebook parent Meta threatens to remove news from platform

Facebook dad or mum Meta Platforms Inc. stated Tuesday it will likely be “forced to consider” eradicating news content material from its platform if Congress passes laws requiring tech corporations to pay news retailers for his or her materials.

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, if handed, would permit news corporations to collectively negotiate with social platforms over the phrases on which their materials seems on their websites.

Meta stated it could fairly pull news from its platforms than “submit to government-mandated negotiations that unfairly disregard the value we provide to news outlets.” The worth, Meta stated in an announcement tweeted by spokesman Andy Stone, consists of “increased traffic and subscriptions.”

Meta, which relies in Menlo Park, California, has taken comparable stands previously. Last yr, it briefly blocked news from its platform in Australia after the nation handed laws that might compel tech corporations to pay publishers for utilizing their news tales. It later struck offers with Australian publishers.