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Thursday, January 28, 2021 7:19:43 PM
'Inevitable' Google and Facebook will pay for Australian news, treasurer says
"Australia is making Google and Facebook pay for news: what difference will the code make?
"Australia Moves to Force Google and Facebook to Compensate Media Outlets " "
Josh Frydenberg says tech companies’ threats to pull services out of Australia did them a ‘big disservice’
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said Australia will be a world leader in tech regulation by putting in place a code forcing
Google and Facebook to pay news publishers. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
@Paul_Karp Sun 24 Jan 2021 13.20 AEDT
Last modified on Wed 27 Jan 2021 13.11 AEDT
Josh Frydenberg has warned the internet giants it is “inevitable” they will pay for news content and their threats to shut down core functions in Australia .. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/22/google-threatens-to-shut-down-search-in-australia-if-digital-news-code-goes-ahead .. do them a “big disservice”.
At a doorstop on Sunday, the treasurer said the Morrison’s government intended to become a “world leader” in regulating social media and search companies, who he accused of shifting the goalposts in their opposition to the proposed bargaining code of conduct.
What are my options if Google shuts down search in Australia?
[The threat came as Google’s Australian managing director, Mel Silva, told a Senate committee the new code would “would
set an untenable precedent” and create an “unmanageable financial and operational risk” if it were to become law.]
Read more > https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/23/what-are-my-options-if-google-shuts-down-search-in-australia
Google and Facebook .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/facebook .. are both fighting against legislation currently before the parliament that would force them to enter into negotiations with news media companies for payment for content, with an arbiter to ultimately decide the payment amount if no agreement can be reached.
On Friday, the pair escalated the dispute .. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/22/google-threatens-to-shut-down-search-in-australia-if-digital-news-code-goes-ahead .. by threatening to remove the Google search engine from Australia and Facebook to remove news from the Facebook feeds of all Australian users.
The threats follow the revelation that Google has been experimenting .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/13/google-admits-to-running-experiments-which-remove-some-media-sites-from-its-search-results .. with hiding some Australian news sites from search results, in a move media outlets said was a show of “extraordinary power”.
[INSERT: If i make a general search now conservative sources as The Australian (subscription) dominate the list much more than
they did earlier. To get this Guardian article i had to include Guardian in my search directive. That wasn't the case earlier.]
Frydenberg told reporters in Melbourne the government had worked with the Australian competition regulator for two years developing the code to “see the digital giants pay for original content that is generated by our media businesses”.
Frydenberg accused the tech companies of “changing the goalposts” by first opposing the government’s proposal of final offer arbitration and now opposing paying for clicks on media content displayed in search results.
He said “if the clicks for media content is such a small proportion of their overall clicks on the search” that would be reflected in the payment determined by the independent arbiter.
Frydenberg noted the government’s position was supported by media companies and public polling, after a Dynata poll conducted for the Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology found that four in five respondents found it “disturbing” that Australian results could be removed from news feeds.
“It seems that digital giants did themselves a big disservice last week when they very openly and publicly threatened the Australian public with pulling out of Australia effectively with search if legislation proceeds as it currently stands,” Frydenberg said.
The treasurer said crossbenchers and the Australian Greens had spoken in support of the code, but accused Labor of “getting splinters sitting on the fence”.
Google's threat to withdraw its search engine from Australia is chilling to anyone who cares about democracy
Peter Lewis
Read more > https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/22/googles-threat-to-withdraw-its-search-engine-from-australia-is-chilling-to-anyone-who-cares-about-democracy
“My view is that it is inevitable that the digital giants will be paying for original content and the choice for Australia, is: are we world leaders … and first off the rank when it comes to putting in place such a code? Or we can follow others further down the track when they do it.”
Facebook has called the code unworkable in its current form .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/21/facebook-asks-australia-to-let-it-make-content-deals-with-news-outlets-before-being-hit-with-media-code , and has asked for digital platforms to be given six months’ grace to negotiate deals with news companies directly before being hit with the “big stick” of the mandatory code.
Google has said .. https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/australia/news-code-path-forward/ .. it could accept arbitration as a “reasonable backstop” to secure investment in news but Australia’s model is flawed because it considers only news companies’ costs and not Google’s – and encourages “ambit claims”.
On Friday Google struck a deal with a group of French publishers to pay for news .. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/21/tech/google-pays-french-publishers/index.html .. through its News Showcase program, which is not overseen by independent arbitration.
* Note: Guardian Australia has been in discussion with Google .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/google .. over inclusion in its new “Showcase” offering that would see the company pay news providers for inclusion in this product.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/inevitable-google-and-facebook-will-pay-for-australian-news-treasurer-says
-
h/t shermann7 for - Australian regulator says Google’s ad dominance must be addressed
Published: Jan. 27, 2021 at 10:18 p.m. ET
By Associated Press
[...]
Commission chair Rod Sims said “there is a real lack of competition, choice and transparency in this industry” that add to advertisers’ costs and increase prices paid by consumers.
“Google’s significant presence across the whole ad tech supply chain, combined with its significant data advantage, means Google is likely to have the ability and the incentive to preference its own ad tech businesses in ways that affect competition,” Sims wrote.
“During this inquiry, we have heard concerns from parties about potential conflicts of interest from Google’s various roles in this industry. This includes Google very often acting on behalf of both publishers and advertisers for the same ad sale across the ad tech supply chain, while also selling its own ad inventory,” Sims added.
A lawsuit announced last month from several U.S. states alleges Google engaged in “anti-competitive conduct” in online advertising and used its “monopolistic power” to control the prices and eliminate competition. Google is calling the suit “meritless” and says the price of online advertising has fallen over the last decade. According to filing records, Texas is suing along with Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.
Sims suggested Australia create rules to manage conflicts of interest and to prevent Google from potentially preferring its own businesses.
The commission noted that competition regulators in Britain and the European Union had raised similar issues.
The commission also suggested mandatory breaking up of datasets held by large incumbents so that rival ad tech providers could more easily compete.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Google has been battling the Australian competition watchdog on several fronts in recent years.
Google last week threatened to make its search engine unavailable if the government went ahead with plans to make it and Facebook FB, -2.62% pay for Australian news content.
The government has drafted legislation based on the watchdog’s media code to force the U.S. tech giants pay Australian news businesses fair compensation for their content.
The commission has also sued Google, alleging the platform broke consumer law by misleading Android users about how their location data was collected and used. Google has denied the allegation.
The commission will make its final report to the government of its digital advertising services inquiry on Aug. 31.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/australian-regulator-says-googles-ad-dominance-must-be-addressed-01611803937?mod=mw_latestnews
"Australia is making Google and Facebook pay for news: what difference will the code make?
"Australia Moves to Force Google and Facebook to Compensate Media Outlets " "
Josh Frydenberg says tech companies’ threats to pull services out of Australia did them a ‘big disservice’
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said Australia will be a world leader in tech regulation by putting in place a code forcing
Google and Facebook to pay news publishers. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
@Paul_Karp Sun 24 Jan 2021 13.20 AEDT
Last modified on Wed 27 Jan 2021 13.11 AEDT
Josh Frydenberg has warned the internet giants it is “inevitable” they will pay for news content and their threats to shut down core functions in Australia .. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/22/google-threatens-to-shut-down-search-in-australia-if-digital-news-code-goes-ahead .. do them a “big disservice”.
At a doorstop on Sunday, the treasurer said the Morrison’s government intended to become a “world leader” in regulating social media and search companies, who he accused of shifting the goalposts in their opposition to the proposed bargaining code of conduct.
What are my options if Google shuts down search in Australia?
[The threat came as Google’s Australian managing director, Mel Silva, told a Senate committee the new code would “would
set an untenable precedent” and create an “unmanageable financial and operational risk” if it were to become law.]
Read more > https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/23/what-are-my-options-if-google-shuts-down-search-in-australia
Google and Facebook .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/facebook .. are both fighting against legislation currently before the parliament that would force them to enter into negotiations with news media companies for payment for content, with an arbiter to ultimately decide the payment amount if no agreement can be reached.
On Friday, the pair escalated the dispute .. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jan/22/google-threatens-to-shut-down-search-in-australia-if-digital-news-code-goes-ahead .. by threatening to remove the Google search engine from Australia and Facebook to remove news from the Facebook feeds of all Australian users.
The threats follow the revelation that Google has been experimenting .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/13/google-admits-to-running-experiments-which-remove-some-media-sites-from-its-search-results .. with hiding some Australian news sites from search results, in a move media outlets said was a show of “extraordinary power”.
[INSERT: If i make a general search now conservative sources as The Australian (subscription) dominate the list much more than
they did earlier. To get this Guardian article i had to include Guardian in my search directive. That wasn't the case earlier.]
Frydenberg told reporters in Melbourne the government had worked with the Australian competition regulator for two years developing the code to “see the digital giants pay for original content that is generated by our media businesses”.
Frydenberg accused the tech companies of “changing the goalposts” by first opposing the government’s proposal of final offer arbitration and now opposing paying for clicks on media content displayed in search results.
He said “if the clicks for media content is such a small proportion of their overall clicks on the search” that would be reflected in the payment determined by the independent arbiter.
Frydenberg noted the government’s position was supported by media companies and public polling, after a Dynata poll conducted for the Australia Institute’s Centre for Responsible Technology found that four in five respondents found it “disturbing” that Australian results could be removed from news feeds.
“It seems that digital giants did themselves a big disservice last week when they very openly and publicly threatened the Australian public with pulling out of Australia effectively with search if legislation proceeds as it currently stands,” Frydenberg said.
The treasurer said crossbenchers and the Australian Greens had spoken in support of the code, but accused Labor of “getting splinters sitting on the fence”.
Google's threat to withdraw its search engine from Australia is chilling to anyone who cares about democracy
Peter Lewis
Read more > https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/22/googles-threat-to-withdraw-its-search-engine-from-australia-is-chilling-to-anyone-who-cares-about-democracy
“My view is that it is inevitable that the digital giants will be paying for original content and the choice for Australia, is: are we world leaders … and first off the rank when it comes to putting in place such a code? Or we can follow others further down the track when they do it.”
Facebook has called the code unworkable in its current form .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/21/facebook-asks-australia-to-let-it-make-content-deals-with-news-outlets-before-being-hit-with-media-code , and has asked for digital platforms to be given six months’ grace to negotiate deals with news companies directly before being hit with the “big stick” of the mandatory code.
Google has said .. https://blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/australia/news-code-path-forward/ .. it could accept arbitration as a “reasonable backstop” to secure investment in news but Australia’s model is flawed because it considers only news companies’ costs and not Google’s – and encourages “ambit claims”.
On Friday Google struck a deal with a group of French publishers to pay for news .. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/21/tech/google-pays-french-publishers/index.html .. through its News Showcase program, which is not overseen by independent arbitration.
* Note: Guardian Australia has been in discussion with Google .. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/google .. over inclusion in its new “Showcase” offering that would see the company pay news providers for inclusion in this product.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jan/24/inevitable-google-and-facebook-will-pay-for-australian-news-treasurer-says
-
h/t shermann7 for - Australian regulator says Google’s ad dominance must be addressed
Published: Jan. 27, 2021 at 10:18 p.m. ET
By Associated Press
[...]
Commission chair Rod Sims said “there is a real lack of competition, choice and transparency in this industry” that add to advertisers’ costs and increase prices paid by consumers.
“Google’s significant presence across the whole ad tech supply chain, combined with its significant data advantage, means Google is likely to have the ability and the incentive to preference its own ad tech businesses in ways that affect competition,” Sims wrote.
“During this inquiry, we have heard concerns from parties about potential conflicts of interest from Google’s various roles in this industry. This includes Google very often acting on behalf of both publishers and advertisers for the same ad sale across the ad tech supply chain, while also selling its own ad inventory,” Sims added.
A lawsuit announced last month from several U.S. states alleges Google engaged in “anti-competitive conduct” in online advertising and used its “monopolistic power” to control the prices and eliminate competition. Google is calling the suit “meritless” and says the price of online advertising has fallen over the last decade. According to filing records, Texas is suing along with Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah.
Sims suggested Australia create rules to manage conflicts of interest and to prevent Google from potentially preferring its own businesses.
The commission noted that competition regulators in Britain and the European Union had raised similar issues.
The commission also suggested mandatory breaking up of datasets held by large incumbents so that rival ad tech providers could more easily compete.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Google has been battling the Australian competition watchdog on several fronts in recent years.
Google last week threatened to make its search engine unavailable if the government went ahead with plans to make it and Facebook FB, -2.62% pay for Australian news content.
The government has drafted legislation based on the watchdog’s media code to force the U.S. tech giants pay Australian news businesses fair compensation for their content.
The commission has also sued Google, alleging the platform broke consumer law by misleading Android users about how their location data was collected and used. Google has denied the allegation.
The commission will make its final report to the government of its digital advertising services inquiry on Aug. 31.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/australian-regulator-says-googles-ad-dominance-must-be-addressed-01611803937?mod=mw_latestnews
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