Google Threatens to Shut Down Australian Search Over News Payment Law
Google warns it will disable its search engine in Australia if the government passes a law requiring the tech giant to pay news publishers for links and snippets. Facebook also opposes the proposed digital news code and previously threatens to block news sharing entirely.
Google threatens to shut down its search engine in Australia as it intensifies its lobbying against a proposed digital news code. The draft legislation requires Google and Facebook to pay news publishers for linking to their content, a mandate that Google claims breaks the fundamental principles of how the internet and search engines work.
Facebook also faces requirements under this law and previously warns it will ban news sharing on its platform if the rules take effect. Both tech giants argue that forcing them to pay merely for links and snippets creates unmanageable financial and operational risks that disrupt the free flow of online information.
Instead of trying to stop the law entirely, Google now focuses on reshaping the legislation to minimize its financial impact. The company pushes its own News Showcase program as an alternative payment model, hoping to replace the government's mandatory payment structure with a system it controls.