Meta Alerts Australia About Facebook News Block Due To Licensing Fees

Sydney: A business spokesman told a parliamentary committee on Friday that Facebook's parent company, Meta, is thinking of removing news content from the site in Australia if the government requires it to pay licensing fees.
When questioned if the firm would stop Australians from sharing news information to avoid paying fees, Meta's regional policy director, Mia Garlick, responded to lawmakers with a "all options are on the table".

"People can obtain news content from a multitude of channels," Garlick responded to the question.
According to her, Meta was waiting on Canberra to determine whether to implement a 2021 law that provides the government the authority to determine how much US tech companies must pay media outlets for links.

The feedback provides the most compelling evidence to far that Meta would take the same hardline approach in Australia as it took in Canada in 2023 when that country introduced similar laws.

When the law was introduced in Australia, Meta signed agreements with News Corp and the Australian Broadcasting Corp, among other Australian media companies. However, Meta has since stated that it will not extend those contracts past 2024.

The assistant treasurer of Australia will now have to determine if she wants to intervene and make Facebook pay for journalistic material. According to the assistant treasurer, Meta appears to follow the law only when it is convenient, but he is still gathering advice.

When asked if censoring Facebook news in Australia would be considered breaking the law, Garlick replied that it would be.