On the other side of the Pacific, Meta — parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — has launched what Australian media are calling a “scorching attack” on the Albanese government’s plan to force the world’s largest technology companies to fund Australian journalism.
The company published a fiery blog post labeling the proposal “indefensible,” escalating a years-long standoff between Big Tech and Australia’s government over whether platforms should compensate news publishers whose content drives user engagement. Australia pioneered this concept with its 2021 News Media Bargaining Code, and the current government has been moving to strengthen it. Meta’s aggressive public posture suggests it may once again be willing to restrict news content on its platforms rather than pay — a tactic it deployed during the original code negotiations, briefly blacking out Australian news pages on Facebook.
The battle carries implications far beyond Australia. Canada, the European Union, and other jurisdictions have been watching closely as they consider similar legislation.
