Meta to Discontinue "Facebook News" Feature in UK, France, Germany: Here's Why

Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it will discontinue the "Facebook News" feature on its social media app in the UK, France and Germany, later this year.

Users will still be able to view links to news articles and European news publishers will continue to have access to their Facebook accounts and pages after the change is implemented in December, Meta said.

However, Facebook will not form new commercial deals for news content on "Facebook News", nor offer product innovations for news publishers in these countries.

"Facebook News", which curates a feed of news articles, is a dedicated tab in the bookmarks section of the Facebook app.

"News makes up less than 3 percent of what people around the world see in their Facebook feed, so news discovery is a small part of the Facebook experience for the vast majority of people," Meta said in a blog post.

Along with Big Tech peer Alphabet, the company has come under increasing pressure from lawmakers around the world to share a higher percentage of its advertising revenue with news publishers. 

Meta has started blocking news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all users in Canada in response to a new law requiring internet giants to pay news publishers. Australia implemented a similar law in 2021.

In its blog, Meta said that the new announcement comes as a part of the company to enhance the products and services. It believes that users do not come to Facebook to gather news and political content, but rather use the platform as a means to connect with people and discover new opportunities.