Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Metro owner accuses Facebook of 'blackmail' over Australia news content row

Metro owner accuses Facebook of 'blackmail' over Australia news content row

The company which owns Metro, as well as other newspapers, has accused Facebook and Google of ‘blackmail’ over the news content row in Australia.

It comes after Facebook blocked news content on its service in Australia last week over a proposed new law that would have seen it and Google forced to pay publishers for news.

Pages on the social networking site appeared blank during the block.

After discussions with Facebook, Australia agreed to amend the bill – which passed in parliament on Thursday – and the social network agreed to lift the ban on sharing news.

In a letter to the Financial Times, Lord Rothermere, chairman of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), said ‘politicians should be very worried’ about the incident.

It reads: ‘For years Google and Facebook have plundered news content without paying for it while at the same time extracting ever greater profits from advertising markets they dominate.


‘News publishers and governments have worked together to fight for fair treatment. In the UK, a new digital regulator is being set up; in Australia, parliament has been debating a law to force platforms to pay for content.

‘The platforms responded with blackmail. Google threatened to withdraw search in Australia; Facebook cancelled news. A nation was held to ransom – and it surrendered.

‘As long as the platforms persuade enough desperate news publishers to sign take-it-or-leave-it deals, there will now be no fair, independent arbitration.’

The full letter, headlined ‘Big Tech’s Australia deal imperils democracy’, can be read here.

On Wednesday, Facebook’s head of global affairs, Sir Nick Clegg, said the stand-off had been the result of a ‘fundamental misunderstanding’ of the relationship the firm had with news publishers.

He argued that the publishers choose to share their stories on social media because they ‘get value from doing so’.

In a blog on Facebook, he said: ‘If you click a link that’s shared on Facebook, you are directed off the platform to the publisher’s website. In this way, last year Facebook generated approximately 5.1 billion free referrals to Australian publishers worth an estimated AU$407 million to the news industry.’

Last week, Facebook blocked news appearing in Australia

Lord Rothermere wrote the letter to the Financial Times on behalf of DMGT


He added that Facebook’s opposition to the initial bill was around a proposed arbitration system, which Sir Nick claimed ‘deliberately misdescribes the relationship between publishers and Facebook’.

‘It’s like forcing carmakers to fund radio stations because people might listen to them in the car – and letting the stations set the price,’ he said.

But Lord Rothermere – whose company owns the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Mail Online, the i as well as Metro – said the Australian deal meant Facebook was setting its own rules.

Facebook has won the battle. It decides what news is read on social media and how much, if anything, it pays for it,’ he said, calling on governments to respond with tighter regulation.

‘Politicians everywhere have watched events in Australia with increasing alarm,’ he said. ‘Now they must ask themselves, who makes the rules?

‘Do the platforms decide what news the public can read in secret deals with the publishers they favour? Or will governments and regulators act with genuine resolve, to ensure fair and transparent treatment for all?’

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×