Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, threatened to remove news from its social media sites in California if the state passes a bill requiring big tech companies to pay news outlets for their content.

Facebook parent company Meta is threatening to remove news content on its platforms Instagram and Facebook in California if the state legislature passes a new proposal that would make tech companies pay publishers for news content.

Why it matters: History suggests that it's not an empty threat. Meta pulled news from Facebook in 2021 in response to an Australian law that similarly forced it to pay for news content. It reversed the ban days later after the government agreed to change some of the terms of the law.

You won’t see this post on Facebook if California AB 886 becomes law, Meta threatened in a statement Wednesday.

Meta has weighed in on the California Journalism Preservation Act, making clear it is not a fan of the bill that would charge platforms.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will pull news from its platforms if California passes a bill mandating that tech companies pay publishers for their content, a spokesperson for the company said Wednesday. The bill, known as the ...

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc. on Wednesday threated to block users in California from sharing news articles if lawmakers in its