House Panel Strikes Blow For Big Tech Regulation
There may be a regulatory breakthrough for news publishers. They work hard to secure a fair share of digital ad revenue from the big tech platforms that monetize the content they originally created and own most of it.
The Permanent Committee for Financial Affairs of the Assembly has requested the correction of the imbalance in this regard.
"There are several and many news publishers in India who generate advertising revenue primarily through Systemically Important Digital Intermediaries (SIDIs) and [we] believe that regulation is needed to ensure that news publishers can contract on a fair basis with these with SIDI. and a transparent process," according to a commission report on anti-competitive practices by major technology companies presented to parliament last week.
Indeed, judging by global precedents, particularly developments in Australia, where the 2021 Code on Compulsory Negotiations with News Media and Digital Platforms comes into force, contractual obligations with technology platforms are the only way to ensure that news has the right value. .
The Australian government has revealed that 30 commercial deals have been made between digital platforms (Google and Meta) and news organizations since the code came into force in March 2021. This code is an important first step. This is supported by the fact that Meta initially went to great lengths to block the code, including the extreme step of banning the sharing of content on its platforms in Australia. Google has warned you that you may leave the country.
The code made them line up. In India, news agencies have campaigned before the competition regulator. His lawsuit against Google for "misuse" of the domain raises the contentious issue that digital platforms not only get the bulk of advertising revenue, but also control the entire ecosystem, including buying and selling. Ad network.
News publishers say they face one-sided deals because of Google's dominance of search and are in the dark about the total ad revenue Google receives and the actual percentage of that revenue that goes to them. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered an investigation.
However, the issue is not just about advertising revenue, but how algorithmically driven news distribution impacts content creation and ownership. Following Australia, France adopted new EU copyright laws that make digital platforms liable for infringement. Canada and New Zealand are considering similar legislation.
In the US, the Senate Judiciary Committee also voted in favor of the Competition and Protection of Journalism Act of 2022 to allow publishers to negotiate more collectively with companies such as Meta and Google.
After all, news is in the public interest and the law must keep pace with changing realities. The Parliamentary Standing Committee pushed in the right direction.
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Posted on December 25, 2022
