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    Facebook, Instagram to block news stories in California if bill passes

    From Australia to Canada, Big Tech has resisted lawmakers' efforts to force them to pay news publishers for carrying their articles. Now, that battle is playing out in California.
    by Bobby Allyn May 31, 2023 4 minutes
    The standoff in California is the latest scuffle between the tech giants and the news industry. Facebook and Google also resisted efforts in Australia and Canada that aimed to force the companies to cut deals with news publishers.

    Facebook and Instagram will block all news articles in California if state lawmakers pass a bill meant to funnel money from the tech platforms to media organizations, a Meta spokesman threatened on Wednesday.

    The California Journalism Preservation Act would essentially tax the advertising profits platforms make from distributing news articles. Under the measure, some 70% of the money collected from the so-called "usage fee" would support newsrooms throughout the state.

    The bill's sponsor, Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, a Democrat who represents Oakland, argues the measure could provide a "lifeline" to local news organizations that have seen advertising revenue plunge.

    "As news consumption has moved online, community news outlets have been downsized and closing at

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