Facebook to pull news content if the law passes
I can see that Facebook has a point. Australian media companies actively post their news content on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. They allow their news websites to appear on Google search results and buy Google advertising. Now they want Facebook et al. to pay for the content they are giving away for free via Facebook et al.
The media companies doing a deal with Facebook and Google would be better than what the forced end result is going to be here.
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in the latest edition of “Australian journalists unhappy on the line” - Facebook have backgrounded US media over Australian media
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Digital media has surpassed traditional media for #1 spot in NZ…
… TVNZ 1 is now number 2 to YouTube.
This is going to get ugly. Really, this should have been negotiated in a civil manner, instead of dragging pollies into it.
Media Release 1 September 2020 from Free TV
Facebook Holds Australians to Ransom
Free TV Australia said today that threats from Facebook to prevent their Australian users from accessing or sharing news content is the clearest demonstration yet of why the ACCC Mandatory Code is so important.
Free TV Australia CEO, Bridget Fair said: “What we’re seeing today is a global monopoly that will say and do anything to avoid making a fair payment for news content. Australian Facebook users are being held to ransom as a tactic to intimidate the Australian Government into backing down on this issue.
“This type of bullying behaviour is exactly the reason that the ACCC concluded that the Mandatory Code was the only reasonable way to even up the bargaining power between Facebook, Google and Australian News Media Businesses.
“Facebook is already awash with fake news and conspiracy theories. Removing trusted Australian news from their platform will only serve to allow misinformation to be further spread unchecked and unchallenged. Unfortunately Australian consumers will be the collateral damage in Facebook’s campaign to hold onto monopoly profits.
“The draft Code does no more than set an appropriate framework to allow fair negotiations between Australian News Media Businesses and digital platforms that would recognise the value of news content to those platforms.
“It is reactions like this that show how important it is that the Government moves forward with the Code and in particular that it includes the ACCC’s recommended non-discrimination provisions which are designed to protect Australians from these kind of punitive and oppressive responses from giant digital monopolies.
“We urge the Government to move to introduce the laws into Parliament as quickly as possible”, Ms Fair said.
No, the media should have made better attempts to embrace the new age rather than piss and moan about it and ultimately rent seek.
Anyone who thought that the reaction of Google and Facebook would be any different to what we’ve seen has rocks in their head
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Ben Thompson (who writes the Stratechery tech newsletter) recently devoted an issue of the newsletter to outlining in detail why the Mandatory Code is a flawed proposal. If you can set aside 5 - 10 minutes, would highly recommend reading it:
Arguments on both sides. I’ll be interested to see if this can work and what the revenue consequences will be.
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And I do agree with parts of that, but I do also agree with this…
They’re going to have to find a common ground somewhere.
As much as it is the old media’s fault for not adapting, big tech needs to be reined in a tad.
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It wont happen - Australia as a market for Facebook and Google is nothing (there are cities in the US bigger), theres more chance of them simply walking away from Australia then trying to find some sort of amenable solution.
Comments like those from the ACCC the other day that called the comments “ill-timed” dont help the situation and the complaining from some in the media that Facebook wouldnt respond to requests for comment - I dont get why Australian media and regulators have their heads buried in the sand so much that they couldnt expect this kind of response.
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This is hilarious, they don’t like Tik Tok, yet happy to allow their own rapacious giants hollow out the Australian news media.
Hopefully Aus show some backbone rather than capitulating to US as often previously.
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In a video, Jackson says asking Google and Facebook to pay for news is like asking a bus driver to pay the restaurant bills of passengers who ride the bus to the eateries.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/01/media/google-news-publishers-payments/index.html
The tech giant has signed licensing deals with about 200 publications in select countries with plans to add more and expand geographically.
It has not been announced which Australian companies that will benefit.
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New development
News Corp Australia is backing a push by the Greens and Labor for the ABC and SBS to receive payments from Google and Facebook under the proposed mandatory news code.
The public broadcasters were not included in the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s draft code but during the consultation phase the Greens and Labor have said they won’t support the legislation without them.
In a submission to Treasury, and privately, News Corp has said it has no objection to including the public broadcasters alongside commercial media in new laws which would mandate the payment by the platforms for using Australian news content.
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That’s a turn up for the books…