Meta believes it is not required to pay for ID news content following new law

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Tech giant Meta has reportedly said that it has no obligation to pay for news content posted by publishers voluntarily in Indonesia.

This comes after Indonesian president Joko Widodo signed a new legal requirement that digital platforms must pay media outlets that provide them with content, according to Reuters. The law is set to take effect in six months.

Rafael Frankel, Meta's director of public policy for Southeast Asia, also reportedly said that despite the new regulation, the firm is not obliged to pay for news content. The decision comes after Meta reportedly underwent several consultations with policymakers.

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According to CNN Indonesia, Meta claimed that its users do not go to Facebook or Instagram to look for news content. It also added that publishers are choosing to use their platform because they benefit from free distribution of their content. Meta also claimed that its platforms has increased traffic to respective sites as well.

In addition, Meta said that it has partnered with publishers to strengthen the news ecosystem in Indonesia for years, according to media reports. This reportedly comes in the form of third-party fact-checking programs and WhatsApp Channels to help publishers expand their reach.

The new law, signed on Tuesday last week, stipulates that digital platforms and news publishers should strike partnerships that could take the form of paid licences, revenue sharing or data sharing.

It aims to help the media industry level the field with big tech and is due to take effect in six months, according to media reports. However, it remains unclear how these new agreements will work in practice.

That said, Indonesia could take a page from Australia, who in March 2021, became the first country to require digital platforms to pay for news.

The news media and digital platforms mandatory bargaining code is a mandatory code to help support the sustainability of public interest journalism in Australia. The code enables eligible news businesses to bargain individually or collectively with digital platforms over payment for the inclusion of news on the platforms and services.

Canada followed suit in June 2023 while other countries such as Brazil, New Zealand and the United States are reportedly looking to pass similar regulations.

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