Tangled web

22 January 2021 By Jeffrey Goldfarb Follow @jgfarb

The tech titan says it’ll disable search Down Under if Canberra enacts a law forcing it to pay media companies for news. It goes to show how much clout $1.3 trln parent Alphabet thinks it has. Such corporate dominance suggests global regulators may have to put up a united front.

This content is for Subscribers only

Context News

Google said on Jan. 22 that it would disable its search function in Australia if the government proceeds with a plan that would force it and Facebook to negotiate with media companies to pay them for news.

In a blog post, Alphabet-owned Google argued that “the law would break the way Google works” by requiring it to pay for links. The company proposes instead to pay publishers and broadcasters through its separate Google News Showcase programme.

Separately, Google struck a deal with French publishers on Jan. 21 to pay them for content online under the EU’s new copyright rules.

Email a friend

Please complete the form below.

Required fields *