Meta to Block News in Australia if Licensing Fees are to be Enforced

Facebook owner Meta is considering blocking news content on its platform in Australia if the government enforces a requirement for the company to pay licensing fees, a company representative disclosed during a parliamentary hearing on Friday. Mia Garlick, Meta's regional policy director, indicated that "all options are on the table" when questioned about the possibility of preventing Australians from sharing news content to avoid incurring fees.

Garlick emphasized that there are numerous alternative channels through which people can access news content. She mentioned that Meta is currently awaiting a decision from Canberra on whether it will apply a 2021 law that empowers the government to set the fees that U.S. tech giants must pay media outlets for linking to their content.

These remarks represent the clearest indication yet that Meta might adopt the same stringent approach in Australia as it did in Canada in 2023 when similar laws were introduced there. In Australia, Meta had initially struck deals with media firms, including News Corp and the Australian Broadcasting Corp, following the enactment of the law. However, Meta has since announced it will not renew these arrangements beyond 2024.

The responsibility now lies with Australia's assistant treasurer to decide whether to intervene and mandate that Facebook pay for news content. The assistant treasurer has stated that he is still gathering advice but noted that Meta appears to respect the law only when it aligns with the company's interests.

When asked if blocking news on Facebook in Australia would amount to sidestepping the law, Garlick argued that such an action would constitute compliance with the law. She pointed out that Meta complies with various other laws, including tax, safety, and privacy laws, and that compliance with this specific law would simply look different if it were fully enacted.

Garlick also defended Meta's procedures for addressing complaints from Australians who believe the company is spreading harmful misinformation or scams, though she acknowledged that Meta's content moderation centers are all located in other countries.