Australia to require big tech companies to pay news outlets for content

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) — The Australian government is set to introduce new rules requiring big tech companies to pay media organizations for news content, according to local reports on Thursday.

The regulations, expected to be announced later in the day, would impose fines on social media platforms that refuse to compensate Australian media for news content, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The rules aim to pressure tech companies into accepting a “bargaining code” with publishers or risk being forced to pay fees to continue operating in Australia.

In 2021, the Australian parliament passed a law mandating social media platforms pay for news content shared on their sites.

While Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, signed deals with several Australian media outlets, the company has since announced it would not renew these agreements beyond 2024.

Under the new rules, the government is urging social media companies to reach agreements with news publishers and provide payment for shared news.

To further incentivize compliance, the Labor government is threatening to impose an annual operating fee on tech giants in addition to standard profit taxes.

The move follows last month’s ban on children and teenagers from using social media, passed in the country’s Senate, making Australia the first country to introduce such a measure.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid