Indonesia – Meta and Alphabet – the parent company of Facebook and Google – are required to make commercial agreements with Indonesian news outlets to use their content.
On February 20, Indonesia issued new regulations related to the field of journalism and publishing. Accordingly, digital platforms are required “support quality journalism” by entering into licensing, revenue sharing, sharing agreements data or other dealings with local news outlets. However, the regulations do not specify how income should be distributed. The regulations take effect 6 months from the date of promulgation.
Late on February 20, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said: “We want to provide a clear common framework for collaboration between news agencies and digital platforms. We still have to anticipate potential risks, especially during the implementation phase, in terms of reactions from digital platforms and the communities using these services.”
He added: “The spirit of the regulation is to ensure fair cooperation between media and digital platforms.” The President also revealed that the process of drafting the regulations – proposed 3 years ago – was very long due to disagreements among relevant parties.
Newspapers are losing advertising revenue to the pockets of large technology companies such as Facebook and Google. (Photo: theedgemalaysia)
A committee will be established to ensure digital platforms fulfill their responsibilities to media companies. It does not harm content creators because it only applies to digital platforms.
In a statement, Indonesia’s Minister of Information and Communications, Budi Arie Setiadi, said the regulation is part of the government’s efforts to ensure media companies are “not eroded” by platforms. digital.
Thus, Indonesia has joined Australia and Canada in promoting digital platforms that pay for news. In Australia, the news media bargaining code takes effect from March 2021. Since then, technology companies have signed agreements with news organizations to pay for content, according to the Treasury Department.
Google warns Indonesian regulation could hurt small-scale publishers and creators, as well “endangers the future of news media in Indonesia”Google Indonesia wrote on its blog in July 2023.
A Google spokesman said he would review the new regulations and affirmed that he was working with news publishers and the government to build a sustainable news ecosystem in Indonesia. Facebook has not responded to Reuters’ comments.
While the regulation represents a major turning point for Indonesia’s media landscape, implementation and response from major tech companies remains to be seen. Critics say its success depends largely on the goodwill of the parties involved in the negotiations. There are also questions about the impact of regulation on end users, such as limited access to news or higher costs of using digital services.
However, advocates believe the regulation heralds a new era of digital news consumption, where quality journalism is sustainably funded and publishers are empowered for more in-depth investigation. . Regardless, Indonesia’s bold move comes at a crucial moment in discussions about the future of journalism in the digital age, underscoring the need for more equitable revenue distribution. This not only ensures revenue for publishers but also protects the diversity and integrity of news in the digital era.
(Theo Bloomberg, Reuters, BNN Breaking)
