Several Australian news sites discovered that the news they reported did not appear during searches, and Google confirmed that it was banning its services to “a small number of users”.
A spokesman for the search engine said trials were underway on “the value of services provided to Australian media”. They added that
For now, it’s just tests,
Which affects about 1 percent of Australian users and will be completed by February.
Tech companies should focus on paying for intellectual content, not blocking it. This is the message for these digital giants.
Australian Finance Minister Josh Friedenberg said.
Big tech companies have tried to convince the Australian government to negotiate with the Australian press to pay for the content that appears on their platforms, but so far they have encountered nothing but resistance from their side. Google and Facebook have called the rules unfair and put the possibility of curtailing news offerings for the country.
Facebook, for example, round-pretzel mentioned it quite simply
It is prohibited to publish Australian news if the country wants to demand money for them.
If the parties cannot come to an agreement, the government-appointed arbitrator will decide their place. Incidentally, the law is currently being discussed by the Australian Senate and is expected to be voted on earlier this year.
The bill also covers Australian public service broadcasters, ABC and SBS, and requires Google and Facebook to share news users’ data with their publishers – including how many have read or watched (for videos) specific news.
The system we offer is the first of its kind in the world and has been recognized not only by regulatory bodies but also by other governments around the world.
Friedenberg added.
Advertising campaign on Google against the new laws
Google argues the change would make its search services worse, and the company has also launched a massive advertising campaign in Australia highlighting how harmful the laws can be. On the other hand, media owners in Australia see things differently.
Advertising revenue in Australian print media has decreased by 75 per cent since 2005
The government said. The blame for this is clearly placed on the strong expansion of Google Ads. As a result, a number of Australian press outlets have closed or canceled jobs in recent years.
