Google News Australia will not close despite its current feud with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that charges it for news content.
Google posted an open blog on its website on Monday, Aug. 24, in which it claimed the ACCC's proposal was unworkable and unfair that no company should agree on it.
In its blog post, Google said that the proposed News Media Bargaining Code would hinder the search engine giant from providing a reliable Google Search and YouTube. Google also warned this would put the Google free services that Australian users utilize at risk while users' data may be conferred with big news businesses.
Google posted an open blog on its website in which it claimed the ACCC’s proposal was unworkable and unfair that no company should agree on it.
However, Google noted that shutting down its Australian branch was not an option while the company embarks on "a mass cull of content globally to stop them being visible to Australians," according to Daily Mail. The company could not easily abandon Australia because the proposed law was so broad that it would force Google to remove all global news published by media firms and citizen correspondents.
In July, the ACCC announced that Google and Facebook must pay media companies for the right to use their stories or pay up to $10 million fine for copyright violations. The commission also claimed that Google earned $4.8 billion from Australia in 2019. The ACCC also accused Google of initiating a misinformation campaign against the proposed law.
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GoogleDownUnder: The proposed law is "unworkable"
Despite the current dispute over the proposed law, Google said it is willing to pay for "license content," although the ACCC's bargaining code was merely one-sided in favor of publishers as it would involve impeding access to news about sports events, global health issues, and even current events tweets.
MILAN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 06: A general view of atmpsphere during the IF! Italians Festival at Franco Parenti Theater on November 6, 2015 in Milan, Italy.
Google noted that while it is not against a law that oversees news businesses and digital platforms, the proposed law is impractical as it would require the search engine and social media giant Facebook would need to engage in negotiation with local media companies if they could not agree on a fair price for news. Google said the arbitration would encourage news businesses to charge an exorbitant price for the news.
Moreover, Google questioned the requirement to give news companies a 28-day prior notice in case of algorithm changes, which would give the local media an advantage while keeping the tech giant from making quick changes, particularly during a security breach. Google added that it would mean waiting for 28 days before it can roll out anti-fraud defenses or launch new features.
Earlier, Google had been talking to different media companies about having a revenue sharing but abandoned those discussions when it launched its 'google down under' campaign last week.
With all the conversation about Google Search right now, we thought we'd share this helpful guide on how it actually works → https://t.co/oowf8NoPV0 pic.twitter.com/gP99T8aFUR — googledownunder (@googledownunder) August 19, 2020
Meanwhile, the ACCC responded to Google's open letter, which accused the company of misinformation. In its statement, the commission said Google will not be required to charge Australians for its services, while user data will not be shared with Australian news businesses unless the company chooses to do so.
The ACCC noted that healthy news media is vital in building a competent democracy. It added that consultation ends on Aug. 28.
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Written by CJ Robles
