Regulators across the globe to keep a close watch on Facebook’s deal with Australia

Facebook and Australia’s agreement to enable users to share news links on the platform is being watched by regulators across the globe as a possible model for requiring the social media giant to pay for news content on its site. In recent months, the relationship between the power of tech platforms and the steep decline in news media revenue has become a key issue for lawmakers in several countries, with many even proposing changes that would strike at the digital ad market dominance of social media firms. It is worth noting that Facebook users were flooded with misinformation about coronavirus and conspiracy theories about aliens that filled the gap left by traditional media and other trusted sources that were swept up when links to news articles were blocked in Australia. 

‘Facebook can disrupt news…’

According to ANI, Jennifer Grygiel, who is an assistant professor of communications at Syracuse University, said, “Facebook flexed and they used their market power”. She added, “I hope that other regulators around the world are showing that Facebook can disrupt the news in a way that’s not good for the public”. 

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After Australia, several other countries are now also considering rules similar to Canberra’s that would direct money from social media giants to news outlets. While Canada, which is crafting legislation set to be unveiled later this year, said that the country would not be deterred by Facebook pulling news links from its platform, France, on the other hand, has already adopted a stringent copyright directive by the EU and its competition regulator ruled that Google must pay publishers for reusing their content in search results. 

The EU and the UK are also seeking to bring in parts of Australia’s system to upcoming laws as well. But the US, however, is not advancing on such measures. According to reports, US Senator Maria Cantwell, the new chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said that more ad revenue should be going to news outlets, not social media platforms. Last year the country had even pointed to the dominance of Facebook and Google, saying that they have “harmed” the quality and availability of journalism. But, currently, there are no proposals in the advanced stages similar to the one in Australia. 

(With inputs from ANI)

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