News Corp’s Michael Miller says Meta, X, TikTok should operate under a Social Licence, or face being booted

News Corp Australia boss Michael Miller says social media giants need to be hit with a band of new laws or face being booted from the country.

Australia should go it alone in reining in the “immense power” of social media tech giants and not wait for other countries, the chief of News Corp Australia has said.

Michael Miller used his address to the National Press Club on Wednesday to call tech monoliths including TikTok, X and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, to be hit with a legislated “social licence,” which would make companies and bosses liable for criminal penalties if breached.

“Because on social media, bad behaviour is good for business,” he said in his address.

“The social media giants profit from evil videos, they profit from bullying, they profit from online con artists, they profit from glamorising eating disorders.”

News Corp Australia boss Michael Miller said it was time for tech giants to face proper regulation which includes harsh punishments. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

When asked by NewsWire if Australia should seek backing from other countries before pressing forward against the tech giants, Mr Miller said Australia should not delay.

He said the detrimental effects of Facebook blocking news in Canada had allowed misinformation to spread, and there had been a lack of news updates being shared during national disasters.

“I think Australia has to go alone. I don’t think we can wait for other countries,” he said.

“I don’t feel that Australia needs to wait and have a coalition. That will take time and the impacts will continue to mount the longer we take.”

Mr Miller called on politicians to enact the legislation, which could make social giants liable for content that’s “amplified, curated, and controlled by their algorithms”, pointing to posts that contained online violence, harassment, and bullying.

Social media giants would also have to contribute to money spent on “tackling mental health problems” and create an “effective consumer complaints handling system”, which uses call centres based in Australia, and abide by anti-competition framework set by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Mr Miller also demanded companies to re-honour the News Media Bargaining Code.

Earlier this year, Meta sensationally declared it would not renew its agreement, which meant it would no longer compensate news publishers and would remove the news tab on Facebook.

Companies and executives who flout the laws should also be liable for criminal sanctions, with the government wielding the ultimate power to boot them out of Australia, Mr Miller argued.

“In my view the tech monopolies are also mining companies. They don’t mine our minerals, they mine our lives,” he said.

“Those lives are Australia’s greatest resource, and we have a responsibility to protect ourselves and the way we want to live.”

He said the new raft of laws, which he dubbed as a ‘Social Licence’ would make platforms responsible for their content. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

Mr Miller argued the Australian government was also responsible for limiting the harmful reach of social media giants, and laws similar to what he proposed existed in other sectors like banking, business, advertising and media.

“On behalf of 27 million Australians, the Australian government has the mandate and ability to re-establish and reassert itself as the representatives and rule makers of Australia – by

resetting the rules for global platforms’ access to Australians,” he said.

“It’s time for them to play by our rules.”

Should the tech monopolies not sign up, or abide by the social licence, Mr Miller said “it’s not the end of the world” if they walked away.

“We all know innovation occurs in the digital space,” he said.

“And the tech monopolies know how quickly the void would be filled.”

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has maintained there needs to be more transparency and accountability across the social media sector.

The government will soon begin a major joint parliamentary select committee into the effects of social media and how it has impacted the mental health of users, and its role in spreading misinformation, and explicit, extremist, and illegal content.

United push for ‘social licence’

Mr Miller was asked by The Australian’s Rosie Lewis whether other “media chiefs” had been consulted on the idea of a Social Licence.

While he said the industry as a whole had not met on this, Mr Miller noted wide-scale industry concern over the impact of tech platforms.

He added the longer the industry ignored the problem, the “greater the impact” it would have.

Mr Miller also called on Australia to lead the revolt against tech companies and encouraged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to step in.

“The important thing just to reflect upon is that Australia was one of the first countries impacted by the internet … We were disrupted faster than others,” he said.

“Our parliamentarians should raise it with other parliamentarians. I know a lot of them are, but I think if the Prime Minister has that opportunity, he should take it.”

Mr Miller said all media bodies were concerned with the tech platforms. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Miller grilled on News Corp announcements

The recently announced News Corp restructure was also the subject of several questions.

The changes, announced to staff last week, will divide publishers into three streams: state and community mastheads, The Australian and prestige mastheads and free news and lifestyle. Several editorial executives were made redundant.

Mr Miller declined to share staff numbers but said impact to frontline journalists would be minimised.

“Unfortunately we are going through, as an industry, a lot of change, and we’re looking to right size the period (of) advertising downturn to be in a position for growth coming out,” he said.

“I’m not going to talk to numbers, never have, and don’t plan to either.”

AI “needs” media companies

A question was also posed about the major deal between News Corp and AI leader OpenAi minted in May.

The multi-year deal will result in the media company being paid for access to its current and archived news content.

Mr Miller said the AI industry had “learnt from the tech platforms to engage with media earlier”.

“There’s no doubt that those AI companies need media companies, and if the partnership is right, then I don’t think media companies should be close-minded to working with AI companies either.”

Looking to newsrooms, Mr Miller said AI could allow journalists to “do a better job,” such as fact-checking.