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Google threatens to make its search engine unavailable in Australia

38 Comments
By NICK PERRY

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38 Comments
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Good riddance to them.

Google’s advertising income in Australia is nearly $5 billion, & they pay only $50 million in tax.

Not to mention that they also sell your personal information to companies.

My recommendation is duck duck go.

20 ( +20 / -0 )

“If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google search available in Australia,” Silva told senators. “And that would be a bad outcome not only for us, but also for the Australian people, media diversity, and the small businesses who use our products every day.”

How is that a threat?

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Oh no! Whatever will Australians use to search the Internet? Besides all the other alternatives.

Bye Google.

22 ( +22 / -0 )

So apparently Google has never heard of VPNs. Or the rising popularity of Duck Duck Go. This is a very limp threat from Google, and great news for VPn providers as well as other search engines, as they're about to get a surge in customers.

Google, mate, just stop. I'm embarrassed for you. We all are. You've lost this battle. If you keep trying to die on this hill, you will. Other countries will follow Australia's example, and that's going to be very painful. Facebook, you too. Enough is enough.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia,” Morrison told reporters in Brisbane. “That’s done in our Parliament. It’s done by our government. And that’s how things work here in Australia.”

Well done..either follow the rules or leave..

If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google search available in Australia,” Silva told senators. “And that would be a bad outcome not only for us, but also for the Australian people, media diversity, and the small businesses who use our products every day.

That's the threat right there..earlier they could do anything with any site..now need to pay.. Silva should know that it's not the US where they could do anything including hunderd percent interference in the elections. The real face of the these tech firms is now getting revealed..good.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Nobody noticed but the Internet will never be the same after today. Brave released their new browers which uses InterPlanetary File System. Use Brave and Duck Duck Go.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Screw Google. It's old. Self-centered. Greedy. But, that said, it abused its position in a developing market and made some people a lot of money. Sad thing about that is that they'll use their newfound money to do things for themselves, not the rest of the world they took advantage of.

Pretty pathetic, what humanity has become, isn't it???

10 ( +10 / -0 )

I would love to see Google search gone from Australia!!! Australia will be much better without such trash like Google!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

She said the code's “biased arbitration model” also posed unmanageable financial and operational risks for Google. She suggested a series of tweaks to the bill.

A bit strange when you consider Google is completely biased with search results and favors a political slant while trying very hard to scrub the internet clean from what it doesnt agree with , very much like FB.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Good riddance to Google!!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Google has agreed to pay French news outlets for content.

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-agrees-to-pay-french-news-publishers-for-content/393295/

But with Australia they threaten to block searches? I dont think so as they give competitors an edge and market it will not compete in. Lose billions of dollars to stop paying for content is self defeating.

The trend is on and you must pay for content that helps you make money. As a rich tech company these guys need to stop expecting a free ride. If Google was to leave the Australian search engine market we would get used to using a different search engine within a few weeks. The loss would be theirs.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Oh no! Whatever will Australians use to search the Internet? 

Yes someone do tell us what they will do?

I don't think people get that this will not just apply to Google and FB but every other search engine.

So either they pay figure out how to block every single link to any possible Australian news sites or link that may violate the proposed new rules.

So in the end most will pull out or block Australians from accessing their search engine or block all Australian news or related sites.

If Google pulls out, blocks ect... Not only will Australian news sites swiftly see a decline in traffic but blocking all of Australia will affect many many businesses.

And again this will affect, Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.. search engines.

So going to another search engine may not be possible.

Yeah I know putting Google and FB in the headline makes them look like the bad big tech but also overshadows the facts it affects all search engines.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Google will pay, cough up or else.... Google folded in France.

Google seals content payment deal with French news publishers.....

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-google-publishers/google-seals-content-payment-deal-with-french-news-publishers-idUSKBN29Q0SC

So stop the posturing or suffer a business model cascade effect.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Google has agreed to pay French news outlets for content.

Yes. Now read the rest of the article above.

Silva said it was willing to pay a wide and diverse group of news publishers for the value they added, but not under the rules as proposed, which included payments for links and snippets.

So basically it and FB as well as all the smaller search engines are not saying they don't want to pay anything they are saying that not under the present proposal.

And had you been following the long debate over France you would know they made a very similar objection and in the end France as well as other countries came to the simple conclusion their first ideas that were similar to the proposed Australian ones would be unworkable.

I don't remember which country did try implementing a similar rule only to find that every possible news reference concerning their news government press releases, etc.. were blocked out of caution making searching for news in that country near impossible it didn't take long for the law to be modified.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

@Peter14

Did you read the article you posted a link to?

It is clear Google agrees to pay based on individual agreements made directly with each news organizations for news published on Google News.

Not links, snippets, not search engine results, only news published on Google news.

This is not what Australia is proposing.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Do people actually read articles?

Obviously not.

It is clear in this article Google is willing to pay Australian news services for news published on Google News.

What it opposes is paying for snippets, links posted by non Google news that come up in searches

This was the same thing they opposed in France.

But then again people didn't read that article either.

It clearly states that Google agrees to make agreements directly with new publishers for new used by Google news services.

Those they do not or cannot come to an agreement with will not be used and will remain blocked.

Google did not agree to pay for snippets, links using snippets, etc..

Which Australia's new rules would include and that France originally also included and then dropped once they realised Google would actually block France and that it was an unworkable proposal.

Oh and if you really want the full details and not some cut down version in English regarding the long fight in France go to French sites they go into far more detail.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Antiquesaving,

At least 6 member states are jockeying for position.

The Digital Markets Act: ensuring fair and open digital markets

https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-markets-act-ensuring-fair-and-open-digital-markets_en#:~:text=The%20Digital%20Markets%20Act%20(DMA,regards%20large%2C%20systemic%20online%20platforms.

The Gatekeeper role is a stepping stone to implement a full regulatory authority.

Now let review the The Digital Services Act package

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-services-act-package

EU reveals plan to regulate Big Tech...2020

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55318225

New and advertising is just a microcosm of the legislation coming down the pipeline.

EU commission and member states want to there slice of the pie, Antiquesaving,

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Just to add a little more information.

To those pointing to Google and France, Germany, etc.. deals.

They are directly making agreements with each news service.

But it is now showing some serious down sides as Google finds it of no need not viable to deal with smaller news outlets, so they will remain blocked.

So in the end only news services in those countries that are big enough, important enough to make a deal with Google will be on Google news or show up in Google news search.

The little guys will remain blocked as they all were until a deal is reached

Do not think Google will not block service it already has shown it can and will in these countries.

Those ssy Google caved got it backwards, they countries and their news services caved and agreed to Google's proposals.

They found that despite not liking how Google was using their news for free they liked even less not showing up in searches and having far lower traffic because no one could see them.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@itsonlyrocknroll

In the end this will do just like it is now doing in Germany and France news.

The Big established services are making deals and the small guys are being left out.

In the end of the EU and others get what they are proposing it will be the death of small business on the internet.

If you think your searches today bring up to many results for Amazon, Rakuten, Alibaba, eBay,Etsy, Shopify, etc...

Under these proposals they will be the only results and independent small businesses will be locked out.

What is already underway is companies preparing their own search engins which will only give results based on their own products and affiliates.

We are seeing this with Apple, Amazon, even Rakuten is now working on it.

So instead of just searching Google, Bing, Yahoo you will have to use multiple search engines each one owned by a different large tech showing only results they own or are affiliated to them.

Once that happens there will be nothing any government can do about it as they will be no different than going to a Toyota owned car site and only getting Toyota group results meaning Toyota, Subaru, Daihatsu, etc... You will not get Honda, Nissan, BMW.

Google, Bing, Yahoo all may have their problems but they eventually show results for a very diverse range.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Antiquesaving,

I agree with you, the tech giants tech innovation and development has changed the way we communicate and in many respects for the better.

All, have opened up a world of digital technology that only US investment could foresee, so lets give a heads up, a nod to this achievement.

One overriding human frailty though, is pertinacious ambition, the overwhelming desire for greed, power, wealth beyond reason or accountability.

The tech brobdingnagian's could have set a global example, shared the revenue.

Instead they failed to comprehend the political backlash escalating in front of there eyes

2 ( +2 / -0 )

A bit strange when you consider Google is completely biased with search results and favors a political slant while trying very hard to scrub the internet clean from what it doesnt agree with , very much like FB.

@Bjorn - I didn't realise this. Could you give me a search term so that I can try this out for myself on Google and then compare it to other search engines to see how it compares? I would be very interested in verifying this for myself.

And if not, point me to a source for your claim?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Funny goggle & fb seem to have no problem making $$ from using our data etc, but when it comes to THEM having to pay for something....... its ""difficult"" aaaahhhhh BOOHOO!!

These big tech companies really need to be taken down more than a few pegs, they are wielding too much power for too long now & dont pay anywhere near their share of taxes to boot!!!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I have a simple question.

Those that posted links to articles about France and others.

How did you find those articles?

Let me gues you used a search engine and probably Google.

Those that say goodbye Google, I am guessing you don't use it as your search engine, right?

But then the alternatives like Yahoo, Bing, etc... Will also be subject to any new regulations.

I wonder what it would be like not having a good search engine.

Oh wait I don't have to I actually know because unlike most here I had the internet long before it was the internet.

That is right the old dial up click the phone hand set into the modem type in text and start asking others to guide you to whatever you are looking for, long wasted time trying to find things.

But I guess you all have already thought about that.

It seems we are at a crossroad corporate control or government control of the information and goods.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

What's the threat ?

Seems more like an opportunity for the likes of duck duck go - https://duckduckgo.com/

and other similar startups... To coin a Queen song... It's time to break Free ...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Seems more like an opportunity for the likes of duck duck go - https://duckduckgo.com/

Again you do realise this new proposal would not only apply to Google and FB but to all search engines that do similar services.

Do people think this would be a Google, FB only law?

That would be considered unfair competition and surely end up in court either in Australia or seeing FB and Google are USA companies world trade court.

So duck duck would face the same rules, can they afford it?

No so the rules would be worse for the small guys.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

It is clear Google agrees to pay based on individual agreements made directly with each news organizations for news published on Google News.

That Google News is customized by Google..i.e. they can strictly control as to what is displayed there..that's why they agree to pay..but search engine results, links, snippets cannot be easily managed and they would end up paying to anyone posting related content, they (Google) will have to make fundamental changes in Googlebot, and that will not happen.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Let Google pull out. If they don't want to play by Australia's rules, then they shouldn't be able to play in Australia. It's a free democratic nation, other services that do follow the rules will fill the hole.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

When in Rome...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Antiquesaving

You understand Google has months to "negotiate" directly with providers on this issue to modify the governments current proposed ideas and that they have not bothered to avail themselves of that yet.

If negotiations fail then Government arbitration would occur. The current proposals are not necessarily the end point, but a starting point. Yet Google cry's foul to attempt to gain public sympathy and support for its position to water down payments as much as possible. A typical approach by a massive company protecting every cent from those who deserve payments and from paying taxes. It should surprise nobody, this is the beginning of their negotiating tactics in action, nothing more.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Nowadays, everytime i click the website, i have to accept their conditions or whatever, otherwise I cannot view their site.

Enough with this headache, why do I have to bother clicking these sites? I didn't had to do it in the 90's. It was all good and relaxing. Yes the time has changed, the generation changed. Everything is Online.

Still, Do I really have to use my precious time surfing the net by viewing the unnecessary sites? (Except the BBB - Bills, Bank & Bookings), what more do u want? Think about it!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I have to say Google search is really efficient. But I end up using Duck Duck Go most of the time.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Google aggressively monitors and displays ads which its algos produce according to my searches-it is creepy, so I avoid Google

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well now I know about Duck Duck Go. I'll have to check that out.

 Or better yet, everybody get back to books and get weened off of instant gratification, which comes at the cost of truth.

lol, I'll use it to search for these "books" you speak of

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I fail to see why this matter is even before the Australian Parliament. It seem entirely inappropriate. If news providers want to be paid for the content carried by Google and or feel copyrighted material is being used in violation of their copyright they need to send demand letters to Google. If Google does not reply or the reply is considered inadequate the next step logically is a lawsuit. This is a classic business dispute best settled by a court of law and not by a nation's legislative branch.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Google aggressively monitors and displays ads which its algos produce according to my searches-it is creepy, so I avoid Google

Don't be naive. Every internet search engine and most businesses using the internet collect personal data and do things to affect where they turn up in a give search. Certain countries also collect your personal data when you visit sites with servers located in those countries. Google isn't doing anything anyone else doesn't do. They are more aggressive perhaps and better at it but you can bet money every other search engine or internet provider in the world wishes they were Google and would do everything Google does if they could. Your only security are maybe a VPN, maybe, and encryption.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is that a threat.....

Or a promise !

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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