GOOGLE THREATENS TO AX LINKS TO CA NEWS SITES IN RESPONSE TO PENDING JOURNALISM FEE LEGISLATION
Google, a household name for accessing everything from tech news to trending recipes, has initiated a bold experiment aimed at California users. The tech giant plans to remove links to California news websites temporarily to measure the potential impact of the proposed California Journalism Preservation Act. This Act, which insists Google pay for linking Californians to news articles, could significantly redefine the way online news is accessed and monetized.
These changes come in response to recent legislative talks on how modern news should be distributed and compensated. Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s Vice President of global news partnerships, alerted that the bill could greatly modify the services Google can provide to Californians and the kind of traffic it can generate for California publishers. This suggests a substantial shift for online publishers, as this could shape consumer behavior in accessing news articles and how often readers are exposed to their content.
With stakes high, Google has also decided to pause further investments in California-centric news programs, namely the Google News Showcase and the Google News Initiative. These decisions highlight the complexities surrounding how Big Tech companies navigate legislation, balancing profit with the value offered to their users and associated entities.
Google’s argument against the Act lies in its assertion of already driving traffic to publishers thereby providing value. However, critics claim the existing model primarily aids larger media corporations, harming local newspapers in the process. It remains a contentious debate where Google, despite contributing to news visibility, needs to address concerns of fair value distribution amongst publishers big and small.
The financial implications for Google could be substantial. It remains murky how much revenue Google generates from news content. However, a recent study suggested that should a similar national law pass, Google could pay US publishers between $10-12 billion annually.
Google's stance on pay-for-news measures is not new, with the company having battled similar proposals in the past. It notably pulled out of Spain in 2014 and threatened to exit Australia in 2020, over respective pay-for-news policies. Despite early resistance, Google eventually reached agreements with several Australian publishers. However, these actions set a precedent, hinting that Google may strive to avoid policies that would inflate its operational costs.
From publishers’ revenue to user browsing habits, this experiment carries potential future ramifications. Depending on the outcome, the California Journalism Preservation Act could trigger a domino effect, leading other states or countries to implement similar bills. If such evolution occurs, the landscape of free access to online news could be drastically redefined, and Google's role within it would need to adapt to this new reality.