Big tech companies could be forced to pay for Australian journalism under a reported plan from the federal government.
It reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will today unveil a plan to impose financial penalties on technology companies such as Meta if they do not negotiate “in good faith” with news organisations.
It is expected to pressure tech giants to commit to a bargaining code with publishers and pay for news content shared on their platforms.
Facebook and Instagram owner Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is now at the center of the standoff, after its existing contracts with news publishers expired.
The other major player, Google, has existing payment agreements but has not promised to renew them.
If platforms like Facebook remove traditional media entirely from their sites, they could bypass existing laws in Australia designed to encourage tech companies to pay for news.
