UK plans to force YouTube and Meta to promote public service news

Key takeaways:

The UK government wants major platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to give trusted public service news more visibility to help counter online misinformation.
The rules would promote content from broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, and could also include national and regional newspapers.
Tech companies are expected to oppose the plan, arguing that government-mandated prominence could unfairly push independent creators and other media outlets lower in users’ feeds.

Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.

The UK government is preparing new rules that would force social media and video platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, to boost the visibility of public service news in a bid to tackle online misinformation.

UK officials are concerned that trusted British news is being pushed aside by foreign algorithms and that younger users are pivoting to social media, where misinformation and disinformation can prevail, according to the FT’s report.

The government wants to give greater prominence to content produced by news channels and public service broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, as early as this month.

The new rules could also include national and regional newspapers, pushing locally produced content to the most visible positions, such as at the top of a TikTok feed. This would be akin to placing public service broadcasters at the top of TV programme guides and on smart TVs.

According to the FT, the government supports attempts by major broadcasters to expand their presence on video and social platforms. One source told the publication that the rules could initially be voluntary but potentially enforced by legislation if the measures fail.

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The move is expected to face backlash from tech companies, which argue that recommendation algorithms should determine what users see in their feed rather than government-mandated “prominence” rules.

David Wheeldon, a senior YouTube public policy executive, talked about the idea of “prominence rules” discussed in Europe and the UK in an April blog post.

“These rules could force YouTube to give special treatment to a small group of organisations hand-picked by a government. For creators and media companies that are not chosen, the risk is real,” he wrote.

“By forcing these channels to the front of the line, everyone else gets pushed back, regardless of what viewers actually want to see. This makes it harder for creators to grow an audience and earn a living. If governments start picking the winners, independent creators become the losers.”

The government is also looking to extend protections for “listed events”, such as the World Cup, the Olympics, and Wimbledon, to cover “on-demand” and streaming rights and prevent them from being sold off separately to streamers.

In addition, the FT reports a green paper being prepared by Whitehall officials. Currently, many UK households still receive TV through terrestrial broadcasting networks, but the government is considering switching off terrestrial signals for digital TV and relying on broadband internet instead. This could come as early as 2034.

Broadcasters argue that maintaining terrestrial networks is expensive. However, older or vulnerable people may depend more heavily on terrestrial TV, which could exclude them if terrestrial broadcasting disappears.

The proposal is still being finalized and could change before the consultation is launched.