Google has threatened to pull their site from Australia if the country passes one specific law. Facebook is also threatening to alter users’ news feeds to not have any news if the code passes. Basically, the tech giants would be forced to negotiate with individual news companies in return for using their content. An independent arbiter would be assigned to “ultimately decide the payment amount if no agreement can be reached.” So, the brain trust at Google decided that they may end up pulling the service entirely instead of having to face the prospect of shelling out money. It’s a prickly situation because of the relative proximity to other discussions around how much power these corporations have over their users. But, as it stands, the company has not indicated that it intends to budge. For its part, Australia is fine with either outcome and is drawing a line in the sand.
What are Australia’s new laws? 👇Australia is introducing laws that would require tech giants like Google and Facebook to negotiate payments with local publishers and broadcasters for news content pic.twitter.com/8BiLa1fbFQ
