Meta warns that if this happens, it will block news on Facebook and Insta

Meta has threatened to pull news from Facebook and Instagram if California’s Journalism Protection Act is passed. Once the bill is passed, big tech companies will be required to pay a “journalistic use fee” whenever they distribute local news content on their respective platforms.

“If the Journalism Protection Act is passed, we will be forced to remove news from Facebook and Instagram, instead benefiting large, out-of-state media companies masquerading as California publishers,” Meta said. ” a statement.

According to the Mark Zuckerberg-run company, the bill fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put their own content “on our platform” and that substantial consolidation in California’s local news industry came 15 years ago, before Facebook became widely used. before”.

Meta further said that it is disappointing that California lawmakers are prioritizing the best interests of national and international media companies over their own constituents.

The California Journalism Protection Act would tax the advertising profit platforms make from distributing news articles.

The bill’s sponsor, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, said the measure could provide a “lifeline” to local news organizations that have seen advertising revenue decrease.

“As news consumption has moved online, community news outlets have been underfunded and closed at an alarming rate,” Wicks said during a hearing on the bill earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Danielle Coffey, executive vice president of the News Media Alliance trade group, slammed Meta for threatening to block news in the state, NPR reports.

“Threatening to remove Meta’s news is undemocratic and indecent. We’ve seen it in their playbook before,” Coffey said in a statement.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – IANS,