Half Removes Facebook News Feed in Europe
In a significant move, Meta, Facebook's parent company, announced that from December, the news feed on Facebook will be removed in Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
This decision was made for reasons related to commercial and legal strategies.
A Choice Consistent with the Direction of the Goal
As reported by TechCrunch, Meta stated that this decision is part of their ongoing efforts to focus on products and services that resonate most with users. Despite the initial rollout of the feature, it appears that Meta is now taking a different direction. Users will still be able to see links to news articles, and publishers will retain access to their accounts, but there will be no further commercial deals or developments specific to publisher-focused products.
The Reasons Behind this Decision
The reasons behind this choice can be traced back to two main factors. On the one hand, in recent years, Meta has shifted its focus away from sharing news as a central element of the social network, instead focusing on content creators and the revenue generated by them.
On the other hand, there could be legal implications that contributed to this decision. In early August, the regulation of artificial intelligence came into focus in Canada. The publication of the Online News Act in Canada led Meta to block access to links containing news articles even on Instagram.
This decision represents a significant change in Meta's strategy in Europe and raises important questions about the regulation of online news.
