Australia’s newly enacted law empowering the government to impose levies on technology giants that refuse to pay local news organisations marks a significant turning point in global digital governance.
The development signals a broader international shift, with countries increasingly seeking to assert sovereignty over their informational and cultural assets.
The era in which major technology platforms extract value from local journalism without providing compensation may be drawing to a close.
According to a Reuters report, the development is not an isolated legislative action but part of a broader global effort to rebalance digital influence. For Nigeria, where the media ecosystem is under considerable strain, the implications are significant.
Professor Ojo Emmanuel Ademola, Africa’s first Professor of Cybersecurity and Information Technology Management, argues that Nigeria should not be left behind in this emerging global movement. According to him, the country’s democratic stability, media sustainability and digital sovereignty depend on decisive action.
What Australia Has Done
Australia has strengthened its earlier bargaining code by passing a law that imposes financial levies on technology companies such as Meta and Google when they refuse to pay local news publishers for the content that supports their platforms.
The law provides for mandatory negotiation rather than voluntary arrangements, recognising that voluntary agreements have historically favoured global platforms while leaving local publishers at a disadvantage.
By requiring digital platforms to share revenue derived from local content, Australia has established a government-enforced mechanism aimed at preventing the use of news content without compensation.
The move goes beyond regulatory intervention. It represents an assertion of national digital rights and reinforces the view that journalism is a public good that deserves protection.
Professor Ademola said Australia’s approach demonstrates an understanding of digital economics, noting that countries must recognise that data, content and cultural assets are not simply free resources for global corporations.
According to him, these are national resources whose use should be governed by structured and enforceable agreements.
Australia’s model, he argued, shows that governments can intervene to rebalance the relationship between global technology platforms and local media organisations.
It also demonstrates that democratic societies can support and protect journalism without necessarily restricting innovation or technological advancement. Instead, such measures can create a more balanced digital marketplace where creators, publishers and platforms operate under fairer rules.
Why This Matters for Nigeria
Nigeria’s journalism ecosystem is facing increasing pressure. Traditional revenue models have weakened, with print circulation declining and advertising revenue moving largely towards digital platforms.
Many Nigerian news organisations are struggling to survive, leading to staff reductions, cuts in investigative journalism and reduced regional coverage.
Some media organisations have also become dependent on donor funding, which can create additional vulnerabilities and raise concerns about editorial independence.
The Nigerian press, long known for its resilience and role in public discourse, is now facing structural challenges that threaten its long-term sustainability.
At the same time, global digital platforms dominate the distribution and monetisation of Nigerian content. Platforms such as Meta, Google, TikTok and X distribute Nigerian news stories, helping to drive engagement and advertising revenue, while Nigerian publishers have no structured compensation arrangement.
Their algorithms also influence which Nigerian stories gain visibility and which receive less attention, playing a significant role in shaping public discourse.
The result, according to the argument, is a digital environment in which Nigerian journalism is widely consumed but poorly rewarded.
The growth of artificial intelligence has further intensified these concerns. Generative AI systems use news articles, images and cultural content to develop and generate new outputs, potentially creating content that competes with the work of Nigerian journalists and creators.
Professor Ademola warned that Nigeria should not allow its cultural and informational heritage to become raw material for global AI systems without compensation or consent.
The consequences for media sustainability, he argued, could be severe. Regional bureaux have closed, investigative journalism has declined and editorial independence has weakened.
When professional news organisations are weakened, misinformation can spread more easily.
Nigeria’s democracy, which depends on a vibrant and independent press, cannot thrive under such conditions.
The press is not merely a commercial enterprise. It is also a national institution that supports public accountability, civic education and national cohesion.
Without sustainable journalism, democratic institutions can weaken, public trust can decline and national discourse can become more vulnerable to manipulation.
Why Nigeria Should Follow Australia’s Path
Ademola argued that Nigeria must assert sovereign rights over its digital content.
Just as Australia has acted to regulate the relationship between technology platforms and news publishers, Nigeria should establish that global platforms benefiting from Nigerian journalism should provide compensation for its use.
According to him, this is not a hostile position but an issue of sovereignty.
Countries have the right to determine how their cultural and informational assets are used, monetised and redistributed. Nigeria, he argued, must recognise that its journalism, images and cultural narratives are valuable assets that deserve protection and compensation.
He maintained that mandatory negotiation would be more effective than voluntary agreements, which have repeatedly failed in several jurisdictions.
Australia reached this position after years of negotiations. Canada also introduced its Online News Act, while South Africa has examined issues surrounding platform power.
Nigeria, Ademola argued, should consider a mandatory bargaining framework supported by government designation powers, financial penalties, transparent negotiation rules and independent arbitration mechanisms.
Without such measures, global platforms could continue to dictate the terms of engagement, leaving Nigerian publishers at a disadvantage.
Nigeria’s media ecosystem, he added, is too important to fail.
As Africa’s largest democracy, Nigeria depends on journalism as part of its democratic and national security infrastructure.
Without sustainable media organisations, corruption may grow, misinformation can spread, citizens may lose trusted sources of information, elections may become more vulnerable and national cohesion could weaken.
Ademola stressed that Nigeria should not wait until its media ecosystem has completely collapsed before taking action.
He said the country must act while it still has the institutional capacity and public trust needed to build a sustainable digital future.
Nigeria also has existing developments that could support such action.
The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria has raised concerns about AI image rights, while the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has shown interest in digital platform accountability.
Leadership Newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief has also publicly raised concerns, while discussions around AI sovereignty continue to expand.
There is also increasing recognition that Nigerian data and digital content may be used without adequate compensation.
According to Ademola, Nigeria is already moving towards a broader conversation on digital sovereignty, and Australia’s model could provide a possible framework.
A New Digital Framework for Nigeria
Ademola proposed that Nigeria should consider developing a Digital Platform Compensation and Accountability Act.
Such legislation could establish mandatory negotiations between global digital platforms and Nigerian publishers, with the aim of ensuring that compensation for news content is fair, transparent and enforceable.
The proposed framework could also address AI training rights and image rights protection, recognising the role Nigerian data and cultural content may play in generative AI systems.
The law, he argued, should ensure that Nigerian creators retain control over how their work is used and are compensated where appropriate.
Algorithmic transparency should also form part of the framework.
Digital platforms could be required to provide greater clarity on how their algorithms prioritise, suppress or amplify Nigerian news content.
Penalties for non-compliance, Ademola argued, should be significant enough to discourage avoidance.
The framework could also include provisions to support innovation within local journalism, helping Nigerian media organisations adapt to changing digital realities while maintaining their independence and public-interest role.
This could include support for digital transformation, journalist training and incentives for investigative reporting.
According to Ademola, such measures could help Nigeria protect its media ecosystem, democracy, cultural assets and digital sovereignty.
He argued that Nigeria must embrace a future in which digital platforms operate within a regulatory environment that respects national interests and provides fair compensation to creators.
The Core Argument
Australia’s new law demonstrates that governments can establish frameworks requiring major technology platforms to compensate news organisations whose content contributes to their platforms.
For Nigeria, the challenges facing the media industry, combined with growing concerns around AI-driven use of data and content, make the need for a similar framework increasingly urgent.
Ademola maintained that Nigeria should follow Australia’s example to help secure the future of journalism, protect national digital assets and assert its sovereign rights within the global digital economy.
His position is clear: Nigeria must act decisively, creatively and courageously to address the changing realities of the digital age, as the future of Nigerian journalism may depend on it.
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