Meta may face fines, forced to fund Australian journalism under new plan

​​​​​​​ISTANBUL

US-based Meta and other tech companies could be forced to fund journalism in Australia or face fines under a proposed Labor plan published Thursday.

The plan targets platforms that decline agreements with news outlets.

The federal government’s plan would impose charges on social media and search platforms that refuse to reach deals with local news publishers.

Platforms earning at least AUD250 million ($164 million) in Australia will fall under the new rules, regardless of whether they host news content, according to Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino.

Mulino declined to call the measure a fine, emphasizing that the “incentive” aims to support sustainable journalism in Australia.

He said it is meant to encourage tech companies to strike deals with news publishers, not to generate revenue for the government.

Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, has declined to sign new deals under the existing code, while Google has renewed some agreements with publishers, though at lower rates.

Tech companies can evade current rules by completely removing news content from their platforms, as Meta did in Canada in 2023.