Photo credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto, Getty Images
Google on Friday began removing California news websites from some people’s search results. The move was made as a test to see what would happen if state legislatures passed new laws requiring search engines to pay media companies for links to their content.
Google said in a blog post that it was conducting “a short-term test with a small number of users to measure the law’s impact on our product experience.”
The company also announced that it will pause new investments in the California news industry, including media partnership initiatives and product licensing programs.
“By helping people find news stories, we help publishers of all sizes grow their audiences for free.[This bill]would upend that model,” Google said. Jafar Zaidi, vice president of global news partnerships, said in a blog post.
The bill in question would require tech companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft to pay media companies a percentage of their advertising revenue for links to their content. A panel of three judges will determine the fees through an arbitration process.
California has lost more than 100 news organizations in the past decade, said Democratic Rep. Buffy Wicks, the bill’s author. She hopes its passage will halt the decline in journalism.
“We are committed to continuing negotiations with Google and all other stakeholders to ensure a brighter future for California journalists and ensure the light of our democracy remains lit. Masu.”
The state Legislature passed the bill last year with bipartisan support, despite fierce opposition and lobbying from big tech companies. To become law, the bill must be passed by the California Senate later this year.
