The company’s main concern with the proposal is that, according to Silva, “the search will require only payment for links and snippets for news results.”
“The free service we offer to Australian users and our business model is built on the ability to link freely between websites,” she said.
Google and Facebook have asked publishers for years how they display their content, with media companies paying tech giants the privilege they should pay. Critics of the two tech firms say that since they dominate the online advertising business, it puts news publishers in a bind and leaves them leftover.
The new law will allow some media outlets to deal individually or collectively with Facebook and Google – and to enter arbitration if the parties cannot reach an agreement within three months, Australian Competition and Consumer According to the commission, which excludes the proposed. Legislation.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison hit back at Google later on Friday.
When asked about Morrison’s comments, Google declined to comment.
‘Results’ warning
The US giant is now proposing three changes to the code, including how news publishers will be compensated.
The company also wants to revise a requirement that would force Google to notify publishers about changes to its algorithm, saying it should do so “to ensure that publishers are able to respond to those changes Are those who influence them. “
“There is a clear path to a fair and practical code,” Silva said. “Withdrawing our services from Australia is the last thing I or Google want – especially when there is a way forward.”
An aggressive fight
At the same Senate hearing on Friday, Facebook’s vice president of public policy for Asia Pacific Simon Milner said the company could eventually block news content in Australia, although he “insisted on a commitment to make the law workable.” “
Milner told MPs that the legislation already had a “deterrent effect on investment in the Australian news industry,” a recent decision by Facebook to launch a news product in the United Kingdom instead of Australia.
Regulators say legislation is required to level the playing field for the news media in Australia, as service in newspapers across the country has been reduced, temporarily shut down or permanently closed has gone.
– Hanna Ziyadi contributed to this report.
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