Google restricts news links in California over proposed 'link tax' law

Google has announced plans to reduce access to California news websites for some users in California.

The decision comes as Google prepares for the possible passage of the California Journalism Protection Act (CJPA). The bill would require online platforms like Google to pay news publishers for links to their content.

What is the California Journalism Preservation Act?

Introduced in the California Legislature, the CJPA aims to support local journalism by creating what Google calls a “link tax.”

If passed, the law would force companies like Google to pay news organizations to direct readers to news stories.

However, Google believes this approach needs to be revised and could be hurting the news industry more than helping it.

Jaffer Zaidi, Google's vice president of global news partnerships, said in a blog post:

“This bill will benefit the media conglomerates and hedge funds that are lobbying for this bill and will use funds from the CJPA to buy up California’s local newspapers, strip them of their journalists, and run them with skeleton staffs. This could lead to the creation of even more ghost newspapers, as they produce only low-cost and often low-quality content. ”

Google's response

To assess the potential impact of CJPA on our services, Google is conducting a test with a subset of its users in California.

During this test, Google will remove links to California news websites that may be subject to the bill.

Zaidi says:

“To prepare for potential CJPA impacts, we are beginning a short-term test with a small number of users in California. This testing process will include: This includes removing links to and measuring the law's impact on our product experience.”

Google claims only 2% of search queries are news-related

Zaidi highlighted the change in people's news consumption habits and its impact on Google search queries (emphasis mine).

“While it is well known that people get their news from sources such as short-form videos, trending newsletters, social media, and carefully selected podcasts, many people avoid news altogether. In line with these trends, only 2% of Google search queries are news-related.”

Despite the low rate of news queries, Google wants to continue helping news publishers gain visibility on its platform.

However, “the CJPA as it is currently being constructed will end these investments,” Zaidi said.

The need for a different approach

In its current form, Google argues that the CJPA could undermine news in California and make things worse for all involved.

The company is asking lawmakers to consider alternative approaches that support the news industry without hurting small local stations.

Google claims that much has been done over the past 20 years to help news publishers innovate.

“We operate Google News Showcase in 26 countries, including the United States, with more than 2,500 participating publications. Through the Google News Initiative, we reach 7,000 companies around the world. including 200 news organizations and 6,000 journalists in California alone.”

Zaidi suggested that California's healthy news industry needs support from the state government and a wide range of private businesses.

As the legislative process progresses, Google intends to work with California publishers and lawmakers to explore alternative ways to continue linking to news.

Featured image: Ismael Huang/Shutterstock

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-limits-news-links-in-california-over-proposed-link-tax-law/513810/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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