The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has said in a statement that the agency and the Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD) are considering adopting regulatory frameworks that would make major online platforms such as Meta and Google pay news outlets content. This follow similar moves by Australia and Canada, with the Malaysian government intending to emulate the two countries.
The framework would require online platforms to make voluntary compensation agreements with local news outlets, addressing what MCMC says is an “imbalance in income for traditional Advertising Expenditure (ADEX) between digital platforms and local media”. As AI technology grows within the industry, the agency’s plan involves encouraging fair compensation, strengthening intellectual property rights, and protecting consumers.
Back in 2021, Australia was the first country to implement a law that required tech giants to pay news outlets for their content. Meta, known as Facebook at the time, protested against this move by banning all news from its platform in Australia, only to restore the content later on after Facebook and Google reached a deal with the government.
Just recently, Canada passed a similar bill called the Online News Act, which is intended to level the playing field between tech giants and the country’s journalism sector. Both Meta and Google said in June they would block access to news on their platforms in the country, but so far, only the former has made good on its threat.
(Source: MCMC/Facebook)
