Why is Meta discontinuing its "Facebook News" feature in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany?

Meta Platforms said on Tuesday that it will withdraw the "Facebook News" function on its social network app in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany later this year.

Users will still be able to read links to news items, and European news producers will have access to their Facebook profiles and pages once the change takes effect in December, according to Meta.

However, Facebook will not enter into new commercial agreements for news content on "Facebook News" or offer new product developments to news publishers in certain countries.

"Facebook News" is a special tab in the bookmarks area of the Facebook app that curates a feed of news stories.

"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 counterpart Alphabet, the business has been under increasing pressure from governments all over the world to share a greater portion of its advertising revenue with news publishers. 

In reaction to a new rule mandating internet corporations to pay news publishers, Meta has begun banning news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms for all Canadian users. In 2021, Australia will enact a similar law.

According to Meta's blog, the latest announcement is part of the company's efforts to improve its goods and services. It thinks that users come to Facebook to interact with others and explore new possibilities, rather than to receive news and political information.