Google says it will shut down search engine in Australia if forced to pay for news

[kobayashiGT]

source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/australia-google-will-shut-search-engine-forced-pay-media-14017802

SYDNEY: Google said on Friday (Jan 22) that it would block its search engine in Australia if the government proceeds with a new code that would force it and Facebook to pay media companies for the right to use their content.

Google's threat escalates a battle with publishers such as News Corp that is being closely watched around the world. The search giant had warned that its 19 million Australian users would face degraded search and YouTube experiences if the new code were enforced.

Australia is on course to pass laws that would make tech giants negotiate payments with local publishers and broadcasters for content included in search results or news feeds. If they can't strike a deal, a government-appointed arbitrator will decide the price.

"The code's arbitration model with bias criteria presents unmanageable financial and operational risk for Google," Mel Silva, managing director for Australia and New Zealand, told a senate committee.

"If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia."

Silva made no mention of YouTube in prepared remarks.

Google's comments drew a sharp rebuke from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said the country makes its rules for "things you can do in Australia".

"People who want to work with that in Australia, you're very welcome. But we don't respond to threats," Morrison told reporters.

Google has called the code overly broad, and said that without revisions, offering even a limited search tool would be too risky. The company does not disclose sales from Australia, but search ads are its biggest contributor to revenue and profit globally.

The United States government this week asked Australia to scrap the proposed laws, which have broad political support, and suggested Australia should pursue a voluntary code instead.

Australia announced the legislation last month after an investigation found Alphabet-owned Google and social media giant Facebook held too much market power in the media industry, a situation it said posed a potential threat to a well-functioning democracy.

Google's threat to limit its services in Australia came just hours after the Internet giant reached a content-payment deal with some French news publishers as part of three-year, US$1.3-billion push to support publishers.

Google's testimony "is part of a pattern of threatening behaviour that is chilling for anyone who values our democracy", said Peter Lewis, director of the Australia Institute's Centre for Responsible Technology.

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If google leave australia, I am sure baidu or sogou will go in and offer their help. They are more than willing to pay also.

 

[Beregond]

i dun know why so many gov is causing problem for these company like fb google etc etc

dun forgot they start off as a free service company , till now they still offer their service for free. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Beregond

[Jamesc]

When I went oz I ask them to teach me ozzy slang.

Piest off Google.

As they say down under.

I really don't think they will be missed.

[Watwheels]

Govt around the world controls their news and they censor whatever is unfavorable to them. These tech companies who are associated with their company country of origin can kahjiao with their politics. Making them pay is a way to control the news content being released.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Watwheels

[Volvobrick]

The big techs are too powerful now, and sweep all the money on the table, leaving nothing for the content creators. 

Good to reign them in, unless you own their stocks! 

Google is not in China. Lives go on there.

[inlinesix]

1 minute ago, Volvobrick said:

The big techs are too powerful now, and sweep all the money on the table, leaving nothing for the content creators. 

Good to reign them in, unless you own their stocks! 

Google is not in China. Lives go on there.

Try to post news that does not toe to CCP line on wechat moment.

[Beanoyip]

Still got duckduckgo as search engine..

Edited January 25, 2021 by Beanoyip

[Kb27]

right now, anybody can just steal anyone else's news and publish in as their own.

so who's going to pay the little man running around on the street his salary for the local news ? 

[1fast1]

I sarpork Google. Hate the OZs anyway (I like the Kiwis though). 

[Lethalstrike]

The Aussies will be the first to cry foul and protest against their govt if Google, FB and YouTube are to be blocked down under. 

[Kangadrool]

Ban Google Maps, then they will navigate using stars and moons down under. More effective.

[Vinyl]

 

6 hours ago, Beregond said:

i dun know why so many gov is causing problem for these company like fb google etc etc

 dun forgot they start off as a free service company , till now they still offer their service for free. 

Corporates should be regulated. You want your government to control the corporates and not corporates controlling your government.

Google isn't exactly free service if they have all your data and place ads into your search findings.

[Yewheng]

16 minutes ago, Vinyl said:

 

Corporates should be regulated. You want your government to control the corporates and not corporates controlling your government.

Google isn't exactly free service if they have all your data and place ads into your search findings.

That is the trade off people need to consider what. Coz its free, can't compain much. Unless a person willing to pay for monthly subscription for Google to remove these ads? Like how YouTube does? 

Edited January 25, 2021 by Yewheng

[Yewheng]

2 hours ago, Kb27 said:

right now, anybody can just steal anyone else's news and publish in as their own.

so who's going to pay the little man running around on the street his salary for the local news ? 

The problem is that its free for use.. So what's the complain about? To complain and then government to regulate and then now need to pay to use? Like that aren't it is making things more expensive to use? 

[Didu]

7 hours ago, kobayashiGT said:

source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/australia-google-will-shut-search-engine-forced-pay-media-14017802

"Google's threat escalates a battle with publishers such as News Corp that is being closely watched around the world. "

And you can bet good money the power behind News Corp is lobbying the OZ govt to do this. Mr Murdoch is so powerful he can probably setup his own search engine down under for all we know.

[Weez911]

I don't quite understand the economics of this. Google will generate the links of the requestor search, after that the requestor will still click onto the links where are owned by the media companies right? The ads will show up after the click into the links.

This is not the case where Google plagiarise the content of these media companies or leech them for free?

For example, if I search for an article by Guardian.au in Google with a keyword, I will still need to access Guardian.au to read the content.

If anything, Guardian.au should make more money with the increased traffic from Google right?

Edited January 25, 2021 by Weez911

[Wt_know]

10 minutes ago, Weez911 said:

I don't quite understand the economics of this. Google will generate the links of the requestor search, after that the requestor will still click onto the links where are owned by the media companies right? The ads will show up after the click into the links.

This is not the case where Google plagiarise the content of these media companies or leech them for free?

For example, if I search for an article by Guardian.au in Google with a keyword, I will still need to access Guardian.au to read the content.

If anything, Guardian.au should make more money with the increased traffic from Google right?

yes but the biggest "winner" is Google

let's say all the OZ news portal create content and have ads on their web page but it is Google the search engine that make billions of dollars with their ranking mechanism and ads placement on their search results

the simi banner or ads on the news portal dont really make much money ... even make money ... sup sup water nia

in FB people can share and share ... news content is created by news portal but the "money is made" in FB with all their algorithm ... 

creating content is super expensive especially with labour cost

while search engine and social media technology and sophisticated algorithm can milk every content in 1001 ways

Edited January 25, 2021 by Wt_know

[Voodooman]

1 hour ago, Yewheng said:

That is the trade off people need to consider what. Coz its free, can't compain much. Unless a person willing to pay for monthly subscription for Google to remove these ads? Like how YouTube does? 

Nothing is free, someone is paying for it.  Your example is not so right. 

This is more like you made a movie using your money, this guy put it on YouTube and he charges advertisers for it.  Viewers pay subscription or pay with their time on advertisement, who are the suckers and who are the free riders?  

The above is illegal if your movie is copyrighted but what about news content and many other things? They are not free.