Indonesia is considering a media bill that would give big tech a fairer share of the pie

Media groups said on Tuesday that Indonesian authorities are evaluating a draught bill that might oblige digital giants like Facebook and Google to negotiate with media companies for fairer earnings, in a move inspired by a breakthrough new Australian law.

The goal, according to Wenseslaus Manggut, chairman of Indonesia's internet media association (AMSI), which was engaged in the bill's formulation, is to ensure that sources who generate fundamental news and "excellent journalism" receive fairer remuneration.

By determining how prominently a storey appears in a Google search or on a Facebook news feed, huge tech companies' algorithms can have a significant impact on digital news media's revenue.

The document has yet to be submitted to parliament, according to Reuters.
It calls for an entity to mediate between media and tech businesses, as well as for big tech corporations to do more to detect hoaxes in material.

"Clickbait is more profitable in the current ecosystem," Wenseslaus stated.
"It's difficult to maintain journalism's credibility in this environment."

Since March, Facebook and Alphabet's Google have been obligated by Australian legislation to negotiate with Australian outlets for material that generates traffic and advertising to their websites.

However, many small Australian publishers have struggled.

The bill, according to Ross Tapsell, a media expert at the Australian National University, would benefit larger business players with political clout.

"Ultimately, the issue is that this structure may not assist smaller, independent media companies whose objective is public interest journalism," he said.

According to Amir Suherlan, an advertising expert and general director of the agency Wavemaker Indonesia, Facebook and Google account for around half of Indonesia's digital advertising income.

Requests for comment on the law were not immediately returned by Facebook and Google.