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Meta to Drop ‘Facebook News’ Tab in Some European Countries

Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. (Reuters)
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Meta to Drop ‘Facebook News’ Tab in Some European Countries

Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. (Reuters)

Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it will discontinue the "Facebook News" feature on its social media app in the UK, France and Germany, later this year.

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 after the change is implemented in December, Meta said.

However, Facebook will not form new commercial deals for news content on "Facebook News", nor offer product innovations for news publishers in these countries.

"Facebook News", which curates a feed of news articles, is a dedicated tab in the bookmarks section of the Facebook app.

"News makes up less than 3% of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, so news discovery is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people," Meta said in a blog post.

Along with Big Tech peer Alphabet, the company has come under increasing pressure from lawmakers around the world to share a higher percentage of its advertising revenue with news publishers.

Meta has started blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada in response to a new law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers. Australia implemented a similar law in 2021.

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Apple Challenges ‘Unreasonable’ EU Order to Open Up to Rivals

The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at the Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at the Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)
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Apple Challenges ‘Unreasonable’ EU Order to Open Up to Rivals

The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at the Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen on the Apple store at the Marche Saint Germain in Paris, France July 15, 2020. (Reuters)

Apple has submitted a legal challenge to an EU order to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals such as Meta and Alphabet's Google, saying the demands are unreasonable and hamper innovation.

The European Commission had in March detailed how Apple must comply with the Digital Markets Act, which aims to rein in the power of Big Tech.

Apple said the EU's interoperability requirements create "a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation".

"These requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users," it said in a statement.

"These deeply flawed rules that only target Apple and no other company will severely limit our ability to deliver innovative products and features to Europe, leading to an inferior user experience for our European customers."

Meta, Google, Spotify and Garmin are among companies that have requested access to Apple users' data.

The legal fight will likely take years to play out in court. Until then, Apple will have to comply with the EU order.

The Commission ordered Apple to give rival makers of smartphones, headphones and virtual reality headsets access to its technology and mobile operating system so they can connect with Apple's iPhones and iPad tablets.

It also set out a detailed process and timeline for Apple to respond to interoperability requests from app developers.