Ministers are being urged by publishing industry leaders to publicly support a crackdown on Meta, the owner of Facebook, concerning its plans to utilize UK publishers' content for training artificial intelligence models. The call comes amid accusations that the government has shown an "absence of any public support" for the industry in this matter.
A letter sent to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy highlights concerns that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) may not intervene effectively without explicit political backing. The letter, seen by the Daily Mail, refers to a report by the IPPR think-tank that suggested ministers have been taking the side of established companies, making it difficult for the CMA to act swiftly to protect firms and consumers.
Theo Bamber, head of the News Media Association, which represents most UK publishers, sent the letter this week. It warns that failure to act could significantly harm news publishers. The concerns are amplified by Meta's proposed changes to its platform terms and conditions, which could allow the tech giant to collect content from UK publishers using its platforms, including their own websites, without compensation.
Publishers fear that removing their accounts from Meta platforms to avoid this scraping could lead to significant financial losses, as these accounts drive considerable traffic to their websites. Additionally, it is argued that such a move would reduce the availability of fact-checked news for Facebook and Instagram users, potentially leading Meta to rely on less credible sources for AI training.
The CMA is currently investigating Meta's proposed changes. While the CMA operates independently, the government provides strategic direction. The publishing industry is advocating for a stronger stance from ministers, suggesting that public backing would increase the likelihood of the CMA imposing sanctions to compel Meta to withdraw its new terms.
Meta has denied that its planned changes are aimed at scraping news websites. A spokesperson for the culture department stated that they recognize the concerns of publishers and will closely monitor the CMA's engagement with Meta.