The company’s biggest concern about the proposal is that it will ‘only require payments for links and excerpts just after the news results in Search’, according to Silva.
“The free service that our Australian users provide, and our business model, is based on the ability to switch freely between websites,” she said.
Google and Facebook have been talking to publishers for years about how they display their content, while media companies argue that technology giants should pay them for the privilege. Critics of the two technology companies point out that it puts news publishers in a decisive position because they dominate the online advertising business, leaving them scrambling for profit.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission can negotiate the parties with the new legislation separately or jointly with Facebook and Google, certain media companies may be able to enter into arbitration. law.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison later hit back at Google.
Asked about Morrison’s comments, Google declined to comment.
A warning for ‘consequences’
The US giant is now proposing three changes to the code, including how it will compensate news publishers.
The company also wants to change a requirement that would force Google to notify publishers of changes to its algorithm, saying it should only do so “to make sure publishers are able to respond to changes that affect them.”
“There is a clear path to a fair and workable code,” Silva said. “Withdrawing our services from Australia is the last thing I or Google want to happen – especially if there is another way forward.”
An aggressive fight
In the same Senate hearing on Friday, Simon Milner, vice president of public policy for Asia-Pacific, said the company could eventually block news content in Australia, although he stressed a commitment “to make the law workable.”
Milner has told lawmakers there is already a “deterrent effect of this law on investment in the Australian news industry”, citing a recent decision by Facebook to launch a news product in the UK instead of Australia.
Regulators say legislation is needed to level the playing field for news media in Australia, as news offices across the country have reduced service, been temporarily closed or permanently closed.
Hanna Ziady contributed to this report.