NUJ welcomes new body to oversee tech giants
The Digital Markets Unit will be set up "to oversee a pro-competition regime for digital platforms, including those funded by digital advertising".
The NUJ has welcomed the setting up of the Digital Markets Unit, which will produce a code of conduct for the digital tech giants.
Michelle Stanistreet said:
"The news industry has been strangled by the dominance of the giant tech companies such as Facebook and Google which have robbed the industry of advertising revenue, while helping themselves to news content.They must be made to pay for it. It also cannot be right that news publishers' digital strategies can be made or destroyed on the whim of an algorithm determined by an American company.
"The NUJ's News Recovery Plans calls for a one-off windfall tax of 6 per cent from the tech giants, then a levy based on profits imposed as part of a Digital Services Tax to fund public interest journalism. We hope this is proposal will be pursued by the Digital Markets Unit."
The unit will be based at the Competition and Markets Authority "to oversee a pro-competition regime for digital platforms, including those funded by digital advertising".
Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, said:
"As more and more news moves online we want to make sure our world-renowned publishers get a fair deal from the tech platforms so we can help guarantee their long-term sustainability.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden announces new digital regulator
© DCMS
"Today we are announcing plans that will benefit news publishers by preventing the application of unfair terms, conditions and policies by the tech firms using their content.This is a really important change to help bolster the news industry."
The Guardian: Digital Markets Unit: what powers will new UK tech regulator have?