Meta Will Block News Content For Facebook Users In Australia

Meta plans to block news content on Facebook (photo: dock. unsplash)

JAKARTA Meta plans to block news content from Facebook in Australia. This would be done if the Australian government required the company to pay licenses to the media. Based on a Reuters report, Meta Regional Policy Director Mia Garlick told lawmakers that, "All options are on the table." This statement garlick made when asked about the plan to block news content. Garlick also told lawmakers that, There are many channels where people can get news content." This suggests that Meta is trying to circumvent new laws that force them to pay news content. By blocking news content on Facebook, Garlick feels that they are not complying with legal action. However, this one law is in contrast to a law related to privacy or user safety. Tax law, safety laws, privacy laws, we seek to comply with it, Garlick said. "It's just that compliance with this law will look a little different if it is enforced completely."

This isn't the first time Meta has wanted to block news content. Last year, Canada implemented similar laws and Meta took tough action. According to Meta, the law is unfair and unbalanced. News content on its platform was shared by users, be it the news maker himself and the ordinary, not Meta. By charging companies fees, Meta feels that this rule is burdensome for one party.