A sign of Google is seen at Google's stand during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, on Jan 21, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said it’s “inevitable” that Google and other tech behemoths will have to eventually pay for using media content, responding to the internet giant’s threat to disable its search engine in the country if it’s forced to pay local publishers for news.
Google said Friday that a proposed law, intended to compensate publishers for the value their stories generate for the company, is “unworkable,” opposing the requirement it pay media companies for displaying snippets of articles in search results.
Facebook Inc, the only other company targeted by the legislation, also opposes the law in Australia. The social media platform reiterated at Friday’s hearing it’s considering blocking Australians from sharing news on Facebook if the law is pushed through
As Google escalates a months-long standoff with the government, Frydenberg said Australia could either be a “world leader” in pushing for the code or wait to follow others in passing similar legislation.
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The threat is Google’s most potent yet as the digital giant tries to stem a flow of regulatory action worldwide, but such a radical step would hand an entire developed market to rivals. At least 94 percent of online searches in Australia go through the Alphabet Inc unit, according to the local competition regulator.
Facebook Inc, the only other company targeted by the legislation, also opposes the law in Australia. The social media platform reiterated at Friday’s hearing it’s considering blocking Australians from sharing news on Facebook if the law is pushed through.
Frydenberg also accused the tech giants of shifting the goalposts when it came to expressing their resistance to the code, after they first rejected a final arbitration model, to now opposing the idea of paying for any clicks displayed under the search results.
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“If the clicks for media content is such a small proportion of their overall clicks on their search, then ultimately, the independent arbiters will find that it should reflect that payment for content — reflecting the benefit to Google, to Facebook from having that media content on their sites,” he said.
The legislation is designed to support a local media industry, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, that has struggled to adapt to the digital economy. Google’s tougher stance drew rebukes from lawmakers at the hearing, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying Friday that “we don’t respond to threats.”
“It’s about control and power,” said Johan Lidberg, an associate professor at Melbourne’s Monash University who specializes in media and journalism. “They’re signaling to other regulators they’ll have a fight on their hands if they do this.”
READ MORE: Aussie regulator: Law requiring Google, FB to pay for news 'fair'