JAKARTA: Following a decree by Indonesian President Joko Widodo for digital platforms in the country to pay media that provide them with content, Meta Platforms – the parent company of Facebook – on Wednesday (Feb 21) said that the firm has no obligation to do so.
Mr Rafael Frankel, Meta’s Director of Public Policy for Southeast Asia, said that despite the new regulation, the firm is not obliged to pay for news content posted by publishers voluntarily.
“After undergoing several consultations with policymakers, we understand that Meta will not be obliged to pay for news content posted by news publishers voluntarily to our platform,” Mr Frankel was reported as saying by CNN Indonesia.
The media outlet further reported that Meta claimed that its users do not go to its platforms to look for news content. Instead, the tech giant said that news publishers have voluntarily decided to share its content on their various platforms and not the other way around.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Widodo signed the regulation that requires digital platforms to pay media that provide them with content, in a move the outgoing Indonesian president said is aimed at helping the media industry level the field with big tech, Reuters reported.
“The spirit of the regulation is … to ensure a fair cooperation between media and digital platforms, provide clearer cooperation framework between them,” said Jokowi, as the president is popularly known.
Digital platforms in Indonesia include Meta Platforms’ Facebook, Alphabet’s Google and some local aggregators.
Google said it will review the regulation. It has worked with news publishers and the government to build a sustainable news ecosystem in Indonesia, its spokesperson said.
Google had last year said that the regulation would restrict public access to diverse sources of news instead of promoting quality journalism.
Australia in 2021 became the first country to require digital platforms to pay for news, while Canada followed in June 2023. Other countries such as Brazil, New Zealand and the United States are also looking to pass similar laws.
Jokowi said the drafting process of the regulation, proposed three years ago, had been very long due to different opinions among media and digital platforms.
The regulation posted on the government’s website suggests cooperation between digital platforms and media companies could be in the form of paying licenses or sharing data of news users.
A committee would be formed to ensure digital platforms fulfil their responsibilities to the media companies, it said.
The regulation, which takes effect in six months, would not harm content creators as it applied only to digital platforms, Jokowi said.
Following Jokowi’s announcement on Tuesday, the head of the country’s Press Council – an independent institution to protect press freedom in Indonesia – said that it will form a committee to support the new regulation, Tempo reported.
“This committee is tasked with making considerations, receiving input, and seeing developments,” said Press Council Chair Ninik Rahayu, adding that it will be tasked with ensuring the fulfillment of the obligations of digital platform companies and the implementation of quality journalism practices in Indonesia.
Content creators had previously complained it could restrict their operations.
Indonesia’s communication and information minister, Mr Budi Arie Setiadi, in a statement said the regulation was part of government efforts to ensure media companies “are not eroded” by digital platforms.
In Australia, the News Media Bargaining Code took effect in March 2021 and tech firms have since signed deals with media outlets compensating them for content which generated clicks and advertising dollars, according to a report by its Treasury Department.