Google begins removing California news from searches in defiance of journalism protection law

Tech giant Google said Friday it will begin an experiment to remove links to California news websites from its search platform in response to a Congressional bill that would require the company to pay for the journalistic content it links to.

Although the move has not yet been passed into law, it has already sparked debate over who would benefit and whether restricting access to news content would undermine democracy, with pre-emptive opposition to the bill It was a major escalation.

AB886, known as the California Journalism Protection Act, would require social media companies like Google, Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta to pay for every article shared on their platforms. The bill passed Congress and is currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Jafar Zaidi, Google's vice president of global news partnerships, said in a blog post on Friday that the proposed fee is a link tax and is not feasible.

To prepare for CJPA impact, we are beginning a short-term test with a small number of users in California. The testing process includes removing links to California news websites that may be subject to the CJPA to gauge the law's impact on our product experience, Zaidi said. I mentioned it in the post.

He said that until California's regulatory environment becomes clearer, the company plans to expand into the state's news ecosystem, including new partnerships through Google News Showcase, its product and licensing programs for news organizations, and plans to expand the Google News Initiative. It added that it would suspend further investment.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how many California users would be affected by the change or how long it would last. It's also unclear which California news organizations will have their links removed from Google search results.

Google isn't the only company threatening action in response to AB 886. Last year, Meta threatened to remove all news content from Facebook and Instagram if the bill became law.

On the other hand, many media outlets support the bill.

Daniel Coffey, president of AB 886's sponsor News and Media Alliance, called the announcement a power move by Google to influence the government and said the bill makes passing the law even more important. .

She said Google's removal of news is undemocratic and goes against open access to information.

Chuck Champion, president of the California News Publishers Association, another bill sponsor, said in a statement that Google's suppression of California news today requires the California Legislature to pass legislation to rein in the tech giant. He said that it shows exactly why.

Champion accused Google of using its monopoly power to brazenly undermine our democracy.

He said Google has tried such intimidation tactics before in Australia and Canada. Champion said both countries did not back down.

The fact that one company can cut off the means by which 90% of the population finds online content to achieve their own political and business goals shows how much action policymakers need to take and act now. It shows. Google is not above the law and should not be allowed to act like it is, he said.

“Many countries around the world have passed journalism compensation laws that recognize the critical role of journalism in our democracies,” Billy McConkie, chief administrative officer of McClatchy, which owns the Sacramento Bee, said in a statement. Stated. This is typical of how major technology platforms have responded. They would rather block the public's access to critical information than simply pay fair market value for the content they are profiting from.

The bill's author, Rep. Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), said in a statement that her bill is about basic fairness.

Wicks said it's important to ensure platforms pay for the content they reuse. We remain committed to continuing our negotiations with Google and all other stakeholders to ensure a brighter future for California journalists and ensure the lights of our democracy remain lit.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://news.yahoo.com/google-begins-removing-california-news-232919636.html The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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