Facebook Considering Blocking News in US if Forced To Strike Deals With Publishers

Facebook isn't pleased that a number of countries are looking to make it pay publishers for news content.

Credit: Reuters

The social media giant said it would consider blocking news on the platform in the U.S. if the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) is passed. The bill would require Big Tech to strike deals and compensate publishers for news content they use. If the likes of Facebook and Google don't comply within a given period of time, the government can mediate in the negotiation process, setting the price that has to be paid. Australia and Canada already have similar legislations in place, while New Zealand is expected to soon follow suit.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Meta’s Head of Policy Communications Andy Stone said that the move could force Facebook to "consider removing news”.

"If Congress passes an ill-considered journalism bill as part of national security legislation, we will be forced to consider removing news from our platform altogether rather than submit to government-mandated negotiations that unfairly disregard any value we provide to news outlets through increased traffic and subscription," said Mr Stone.

He further notes that the bill overlooks that it's the publishers who benefit from putting content on Facebook instead of it being the other way around.

"The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act fails to recognize the key fact: publishers and broadcasters put their content on our platform themselves because it benefits their bottom line – not the other way around," he said.

The Verge reports that the bill was already passed by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in September, though it still has to pass through the full Senate before it can be implemented. Facebook, along with up to 26 organisations, including Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, are trying to stop the bill's passing.

If Facebook does decide to block news in the U.S. in protest of the bill – the same way it did for Australia for a brief period – it could be shooting itself in the foot by tarnishing its core experience. One study cited by The Atlantic finds that Facebook without news provides nothing of value to users. All they might find in their Feeds are “bad advice, stolen memes, shady businesses, and sophomoric jokes repeated over and over," as the study points out.

Of course, if users no longer see the value of using Facebook, they'll likely move to another platform. And if that happens, the Meta-owned service could stand to lose millions, if not billions, in revenue.

In its current state, Facebook is already losing some of its users to TikTok and other new social media platforms, so it probably can't afford to make dramatic changes that could possibly drive more users away. Then again, it has been nothing but bold in asserting its stance on the legislation to both the Canadian and the Australian government.

---

• Facebook said it would consider blocking news in the U.S. if the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) is passed.

• The bill would require Big Tech to strike deals and compensate publishers for news content they would use.

• Australia and Canada already have similar legislations in place, while New Zealand is expected to soon follow suit.

• Meta’s Head of Policy Communications Andy Stone notes that the bill overlooks that it's the publishers who benefit from putting content on Facebook instead of it being the other way around.