Google saying they might remove their search engine from Australia

[Oceanbliss]

au.finance.yahoo.com/news/google-threatens-to-pull-search-from-australia-234006742.html

Australian government wants Google and Facebook to pay publishers for content. Fair enough Google has recently negotiated an agreement with France. So, clearly Google is willing to pay publishers, but Australia and Google negotiations aren’t going so well. I don’t want to lose Google and feel isolated from the rest of the world. AIBU to be upset at Australia digging its heals in, not finding a workable compromise and accusing Google of making threats? Or do tech companies have too much power? With a year of lockdowns and social isolation I really relied on the internet to connect with others.

Other search engines are available

So YABU to think this means you won't be able to connect with others on the internet.

I think Google is bluffing - they must know that if Aus stops using Google other countries might follow.
Why do you need only Google there are other search engines. Do you need to use if for work?
These big tech are bad for the world imv - far too powerful.

Yabu, there are many search engines that will treat you better. Try duckduckgo.com.

@CutsOffCorners

Other search engines are available

So YABU to think this means you won't be able to connect with others on the internet.

This Are you confused about it? It's no bad thing for big tech to be beaten back.

They might block Google not the entire internet

😄

There are loads of other search engines. All the news and content will still be there. All google does is prioritise what order you see the information in according to who pays it most. If google can't come to an agreement you aren't going to be cut off from anything. Ome particular extremely powerful international corporation will have a tiny amount less power to profitably exploit its control over how information flows to you. That doesn't stop you seeing anything you want to.

Who cares? Google are an awful company.

I'm in Australia and I took this a good news.

There are loads of other search engines that are much better, just use one of those.

That would be annoying. But Um perspective. You are not going to be isolated from the world. You could be living in a country with rife Coronavirus and brexshit....

I'm no fan of google but I think the Australian law is wrong. Paying for search results is not right. News agencies can place their content behind pay barriers if they wish.

As pps have said, just use another search engine. Surely nothing else is going to change?

I think it’s great that the Australian government are standing up to them. Will be very interesting to see the end result though, I think the threat is a posturing negotiation tool.

News agencies can place their content behind pay barriers if they wish.

Apparently Google takes 80% of profits from Ads which appear on search pages and news items stolen from other media, the other media who provide that info get 20% - totally unfair monopoly.

Other search engines are available.
As long as it doesn’t withdraw the rest of the services (mail/calendar) which need longer term access I don’t see as much of a problem.

Yes there are other search engines, yes publishers, news outlets, journalists, writers should be paid and yes copyright laws should be upheld. From what I’ve been reading there’s more to it then getting search engines to pay for news content. I’ll go back and copy and paste some the article that I’m concerned about because I think other search engines would also respond similarly to Google if this media bargaining code is legislated as is.

I just want Google and other tech companies to pay a reasonable share of business taxes.

Silva said unrestricted linking between websites is a fundamental part of Google’s business and forcing Google to recompense publishers for showing snippets of content would lead to “unmanageable financial and operational risk”. au.finance.yahoo.com/news/google-threatens-to-pull-search-from-australia-234006742.html

The above is a snippet I copy and pasted from a news article I did not write. I don’t have to pay anything to share such a small percentage of the news article. Before the internet we could copy a percentage of a book or article etc under copyright laws. We could quote other writers as long as we referenced the author and publication.

If these same allowances are not being made in the new code then I can understand the problem. And it does affect the internet and not just Google and Facebook.

Quote from BBC News-

On Thursday, Google agreed to pay French news publishers for snippets of news stories displayed in search results, after the nation's media argued copyright law claims.

@peak2021

I just want Google and other tech companies to pay a reasonable share of business taxes.

You know what's really sad? I actually laughed out loud when I read this comment, because the idea of it so ridiculous to me. How fucking depressing.

Thx PinkyParrot. I wonder why they made agreement with France but not with Australia.

I think there is more to this than I understand. I remember before the internet and what the internet was like when it first started. The internet was a free, open resource and a useful tool for everyone to use. Now, it is a marketing machine where our data, profile, information is sold to advertising in order to target ads at people based on all the information gathered on them/us. So, we have become the product sold to advertising.

I don’t like the way the internet has become a profit machine. And tech companies need to be accountable. Government needs to be accountable too.

If France successfully made an agreement with Google where Google will pay then why not Australia?

Why is Australia comparing Google to China? We seem to have issues with China and according to our news the US claims our proposed media code breaches our free trade agreement with them.

Maybe it’s a storm in a teacup and everything will settle down no harm done. I have nothing to worry about. But I have a bad feeling about the language being used by our government: it seems aggressive, provocative and accusatory rather than assertive, reasonable and authoritative.

Australia should face Google down. Tech companies need to pay their share.

They’ve made a deal with France because France has made it clear it’s not joking. It is perfectly happy to fine google for infringements of any laws, and does not back down. Australia needs to retain the backbone it is currently showing.

They’ve made a deal with France because France has made it clear it’s not joking. It is perfectly happy to fine google for infringements of any laws, and does not back down. Australia needs to retain the backbone it is currently showing.

Ok. Thx for your perspective MN. Will take it on board

I live in the wide brown land and am all for telling Google to go and fuck itself.

Though I am amused at the spectacle of the Guardian online and Newscorp shit outlets all on the same side for once.

I am suspicious of the US Gov's attitude to China and chinese products (though admit it is not a free country for many) and can't help feeling that they don't want anyone using Chinese stuff as it means less profit for the US giants.
US Stocks are rich and rising thanks to all their internet companies and the billions they make - the rest of the world has to bumble along with little tax being paid.