Google threatens to withdraw search from Australia if it is forced to pay news publishers for content

If the government implements a law that requires technology platforms to pay news publishers to display news reports in search results, Google threatens to withdraw its search engine from Australia, a country with 20 million Internet users.

“If this version [media] The code will become law and it will give us no choice but to stop providing Google searches in Australia,” Google Australia and New Zealand vice president Melanie Silva told the country’s Senate Economic Legislation Committee on Friday The Sydney Morning Herald. Reported.

Soon after Facebook, which appeared with Google at the Senate hearing, issued the above statement, ask The country has a six-month grace period that allows it to deal directly with the news media before being bound by the code.

Google and Facebook Have been negotiating Since December 2019, the Code has been jointly formulated with the Australian Government. The country has been trying to become the first country to force these two technology platforms that absorb the most global digital advertising revenue to pay for content from news publishers that have been hit directly. This move may have a ripple effect across the world, including the United States.

A few hours before Silva’s speech agree Pay for French press publications to display content. But in Australia, the company argued that requiring platforms to pay for links would undermine one of the basic principles of the Internet, which is the ability to link freely between sites.

Google wrote: “Just like you don’t pay to include hyperlinks in emails, websites and search engines are unwilling to provide links to third-party websites.” Blog post. “It’s like asking the phone book to pay the business so that it can be included. It makes no sense at all.”

In response to Silva’s speech, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison refused to back down. “We don’t respond to threats,” he Tell reporter In Brisbane. “Australia sets the rules for what you can do in Australia. This is done in our parliament. This is done by our government. This is how Australia works here.”