In a strategic move amid legislative developments, Google has implemented a temporary block on links from local news outlets in California from appearing in search results. This decision comes in response to the advancement of a bill proposing that tech giants compensate publications for shared article links.
The proposed California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA) aims to mandate large online platforms to pay a “journalism usage fee” for linking to news sites within the state. While the bill cleared the California assembly in 2023, it awaits Senate approval and the governor’s signature to become law.
Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s head of global news partnerships, emphasized in a blog post the company’s experimental approach in removing local news links for a “small percentage” of California users. This action is taken in anticipation of the bill’s potential enactment.
Expressing a desire for transparency, Zaidi urged lawmakers to consider alternative approaches to avoid adverse outcomes for all stakeholders, including the California news industry.
Google further announced the suspension of additional investments in the California news ecosystem, including its Google News Showcase feature. This feature aims to streamline news delivery to users, but California publications will be excluded from future showcases.
The proposed bill has sparked debate, with media equity advocates expressing concerns that it could disproportionately benefit larger publishers over smaller outlets. A study by Free Press Action found that a significant majority of websites eligible for reimbursement under the bill are owned by a handful of major firms, prompting resistance from major media companies.
The California bill adds to a series of legislative challenges confronting tech giants globally. Meta and Alphabet, parent companies of Facebook and Google respectively, have faced similar battles over news publisher compensation in Australia and Canada.
As the debate continues, the implications of such legislation extend beyond California, with similar measures being considered in states like Illinois. The Journalism Preservation Act introduced in Illinois mirrors the California bill’s objective, aiming to hold social media firms accountable for linking to news content.
These developments underscore the ongoing tension between big tech firms and the news publishing industry, with broader implications for media landscape regulation and digital platform governance.
