Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it will stop the “Facebook News” feature on its social media app later this year in the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
After implementing the change in December, users will still be able to view links to news articles and European news publishers will continue to have access to their Facebook accounts and pages, Meta said.
However, Facebook will not form new commercial agreements for news content on “Facebook News”, nor will it provide product innovation for news publishers in these countries.
Facebook News manages the feed of news articles and is a dedicated tab in the Bookmarks section of the Facebook app.
“News makes up less than 3 percent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, so for the vast majority of people, news discovery is just a small part of the Facebook experience,” Meta said in a report. part.” blog post.
Like Big Tech Alphabet, the company is facing increasing pressure from lawmakers around the world to share a higher percentage of advertising revenue with news publishers.
Meta has begun blocking news on Facebook and Instagram for all users in Canada in response to a new law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers. Australia implemented similar laws in 2021.
Meta said in its blog that the new announcement is part of the company’s enhanced products and services. It argues that users come to Facebook not to gather news and political content, but to use the platform as a means of connecting with people and discovering new opportunities.
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