Govt plans to make big tech firms pay news outlets for content, hints Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Following the footsteps of Australia and to some degree within the European Union, the Indian government is aiming to make Big Tech firms Google (which also owns YouTube), Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), Microsoft, Apple, Twitter, and Amazon pay Indian newspapers and digital news publishers a cut of revenue for using their original content.

The move is being considered through regulatory interventions, which may occur as part of amendments to current IT regulations, according to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for IT and electronics.

"The market power on digital advertising that is currently being exercised by the Big Tech majors, which places Indian media companies at a disadvantage," Chandrasekhar told Times of India, in what was possibly the first official statement by the Indian government on plans to make global internet giants pay for using news/information generated by independent news and publishing outlets.

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Global digital and social media platforms have significantly benefited from the fast growth of the internet and smartphones, capturing advertising money and viewership (both print and video).  

The government believes that the rise of social media and internet platforms has resulted in a few big tech corporations "consolidating market dominance," putting many original content providers at a disadvantage. 

"The news publishers have little negotiation leverage, and this must be addressed legislatively. This is a critical problem for us," Chandrasekhar stated.

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Several nations, including Australia, France, and Spain, have approved legislation requiring internet corporations, including Google, to fairly compensate content providers for exploiting their material and search results, according to Indian newspaper and digital publishing associations.