Google Starts Blocking News Websites Against California News law
Google says it is experimenting with blocking news from California-based news outlets to some users in the state. This is in response to the proposed California Journalism Protection Act.
Google said in a blog post Friday that it was starting a “short-term test for a small percentage of California users” where they would remove links to California news websites. This is in response to the California Journalism Protection Act (CJPA), which was approved in the US state legislature in 2023.
In the blog post, Google accused the CJPA of being a law that would favor conglomerates and hedge funds at the expense of small local newsrooms.
“It would favor media groups and hedge funds — who are lobbying for this bill — and use the money from CJPA to buy up local California newspapers, snatch up reporters and create more ghost papers that would leave a skeleton. “CJPA will also put smaller publishers at a disadvantage and limit consumers’ access to a diverse local media ecosystem,” the Global News Partnership said in a blog post. Vice President Jafar Zaidi wrote.
What is the California Journalism Protection Act (CJPA)?
The CJPA was introduced in the California State Legislature and approved by it in 2023. To become law, it must also pass the Senate, which will make some amendments, and then it must be signed by state Governor Gavin. Newsom. The CJPA would require platforms like Google to pay “journalistic use fee payments” to eligible digital news organizations whose content appears in Google search results and elsewhere.
Eligible California-based news outlets must submit a notice to Google. The search would then track the number of links to those outlets that were displayed on its platform and whether the news outlet’s service was available to California residents. Based on all this, Google will have to give a percentage of its advertising revenue to the news organizations that apply.
Why do Google and others oppose the CJPA?
Google’s stated intention behind opposing the CJPA is that it would somehow give larger newsgroups an unfair advantage over smaller newsrooms, but it does not explain how this would happen.
Interestingly, this is already happening in the digital landscape, which is dominated by giants like Google and Meta. Reuters Institute studies have shown how large conglomerates like the New York Times and others have in the past grown their audience share at the expense of smaller local publishers.
But the real reason is that this new law could eat away at a company’s revenue and profit margins – something that is unimaginable for a publicly traded tech company whose shareholders expect them to increase their revenue every year. That’s why Google has opposed similar legislation in many parts of the world.
And while Google said it was “experimenting” with removing news from California-based outlets for the sake of Californians, Meta said it would be forced to remove news from Facebook and Instagram “rather than pay into a slush fund that Mainly benefits large-scale in-state media companies under the guise of aiding California publishers.
Top Korean Dating Apps in South Korea 2024
who is right?
Some of the concerns expressed by Google and others are valid. For example, a limit may be required on the maximum amount the company will pay out. This can be based on a number of factors but without it, there is a possibility that this law could put the company at risk of significant financial risk.
And there’s also the possibility that news outlets that operate primarily outside the state could pose as California-based outlets to profit from the new law. But that is beside the point.
Over the past few years, companies like Google and Meta have established digital advertising monopolies partly over the work of journalists, whose reports interest people around the world. Meanwhile, the news business has been in decline over the past few years as advertising revenues have shifted to the digital sector, where a few organizations have a monopoly.
But laws like CJPA could potentially bring some of that revenue back, especially to smaller and struggling local news outlets, which in many cases can be considered the backbone of the fourth estate. [Source]
The 4B Movement in Korea is Causing the Birthrate to Drop – Will Other Countries Follow?
UK Visa Policy In Hindi: ब्रिटेन की नई वीजा पॉलिसी का भारतीयों पर क्या प्रभाव पड़ेगा?
(Read the latest news of the country and the world first on Talkaaj (Baat Aaj Ki) , you can also follow us on Facebook, Telegram, Twitter, Instagram , Koo and YouTube .)
