Australia Targets Big Tech with New News Levy Amid Meta Backlash

The Australian government is pushing forward with a plan to impose a levy on major technology companies to fund local journalism, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Meta, which labeled the policy 'simply wrong.' The proposed measure aims to compel tech giants like Google and Meta to compensate Australian news outlets for content shared on their platforms, building on the 2021 News Media Bargaining Code. Under the new framework, companies that fail to strike private deals with news publishers would face a mandatory fee, with proceeds funneled to support public-interest journalism. Meta, which owns Facebook, argued that the levy misunderstands the value exchange between platforms and news organizations, stating that its services already drive traffic to news sites. The tech giant warned that the policy could lead to unintended consequences, such as reducing the availability of news on its platforms. The Australian government, however, insists the levy is necessary to sustain a healthy media landscape.