The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, says Australia’s plan to force digital giants to pay for media for news content is ‘unworkable’ and undermines a ‘fundamental principle’ of the internet.
Canberra follows global laws that require Google and Facebook to compensate Australian news organizations, or pay millions of dollars in fines.
The aggressive attempt to control the power of the technical giants caused the American companies to back down. Facebook has warned that Australians could be blocked from sharing articles about its “News Feed”, while Google is experimenting with hiding local news in searches.
Berners-Lee, a computer scientist who created the web in 1989, said in a submission to an Australian Senate inquiry that he was “concerned that the code could violate a fundamental principle of the internet by requiring payment. for linking certain content online “.
“The ability to link freely – meaning without limitation on the content of the linked site and without fees – is fundamental to the functioning of the web, how it has flourished to date, and how it will continue to grow in the coming decades., “he wrote.
In the January 18 submission, Berners-Lee said he supported the need for publishers to be ‘properly rewarded’ for their work, but “restrictions on the use of hypertext links are not the right way to achieve this goal”.
“If this precedent is followed elsewhere, it could make the web unworkable around the world,” he wrote.
“I therefore urge the committee to remove this mechanism from the code.”
The US Trade Representative’s Office also urged Australia to abandon its “troublesome” plan, saying there could be “long-term negative consequences” for consumers and businesses.
Canberra’s initiative is being closely watched worldwide as news media worldwide are struggling in an increasingly digital economy where large technology companies are overwhelmingly absorbing advertising revenue.
The planned legislation has received widespread support from Australian media organizations, many of which have been hit hard by a drop in revenue during the coronavirus pandemic.
The digital giants have also made submissions for the investigation, with Facebook insisting on returning to the voluntary code of conduct first raised by Canberra.
“Facebook remains willing to pay Australian news publishers for news content made available on Facebook, as long as it is subject to genuine commercial considerations,” he said.
Google said some revisions to the draft proposal had improved the law, but called for further changes to the rules.
Australia plans to introduce the new rules this year, with the Senate committee holding public hearings from Friday.
hr / arb / jah