Facebook and the California government are going head to head over the Journalism Preservation Act, Mashable reports. The law would impose a special tax on social media publishers, like Facebook, and redirect that money to California newsrooms.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, took a firm stand by saying it would remove all news from Facebook in California rather than pay. Facebook essentially called the tax a cash grab for out of state big media corporations.
Meta statement on the California Journalism Preservation Act. pic.twitter.com/ssgk1vSryB
— Andy Stone (@andymstone) May 31, 2023
Australia had passed a similar law, with Facebook carrying out this threat and removing all news. Eventually, social media companies and publishers struck a middle of the road deal that was acceptable to both parties. The question of the First Amendment and the separation of news and government could also prove to be a problem for California in a federal court, as the government would essentially be subsidizing speech it prefers.
I don’t believe DeSantis would run with Trump, or Trump with DeSantis.
No wonder the iconic phrase: “California Republic,” they are evident separatists. The US should push them out to the Pacific Ocean, and watch its sinking!