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Social media giant Meta announced on Tuesday its decision to discontinue the Facebook News tab in December across its major European markets, including the UK, France, and Germany.
Users of the world’s largest social media platform can continue to access and share news on their feeds, according to a recent company blog post. However, Meta has announced that it will discontinue support for the news tab and will not engage in further agreements with publishers to provide content in countries that collectively represent more than 130 million users.
The tech giant, based in Silicon Valley, has faced numerous legal challenges globally, with lawmakers and media organizations accusing it, as well as other companies, of profiting from their content without reciprocation.
In response to legislation enacted by the Canadian government, Meta has already prevented users in Canada from viewing or sharing links to news articles as it grapples with the requirement to compensate content providers.
In the blog post, Meta underscored its broader strategy for Facebook, which involves shifting its focus away from news content.
Meta stated, “We understand that people primarily use Facebook to connect with others and explore new opportunities, passions, and interests, rather than seeking news and political content.”
The company pointed out, “News content constitutes less than three percent of the content that people worldwide encounter in their Facebook feeds. Hence, news discovery represents only a minor aspect of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of users.”
