Google declare It plans to reduce access to California news websites for some users in the state.
The decision comes as Google prepares for the potential passage of the California Journalism Protection Act (CJPA), a bill Require online platforms such as Google to pay news publishers for linking to their content.
What is the California Press Protection Act?
The CJPA, introduced by the California Legislature, aims to support local journalism by creating what Google calls a “link tax.”
If passed, the bill would force companies like Google to pay publishers when they send news articles to readers.
However, Google believes this approach needs revision and could harm journalism rather than help it.
Jaffer Zaidi, vice president of global news partnerships at Google, said in a blog post:
“This would benefit media conglomerates and hedge funds – who have been lobbying for this bill – and could use CJPA funds to continue to acquire local California newspapers, strip them of their reporters, and create more ghost newspapers run by skeleton staff. Producing low-cost and often low-quality content.
Google’s response
To assess the CJPA’s potential impact on its services, Google is conducting tests on a percentage of California users.
During this test period, Google will remove links to California news sites that may be covered by the proposed legislation.
Zaidi noted:
“In response to the possible impact of the CJPA, we have begun a short-term test with a small number of California users. The testing process includes removing links to California news websites that may be covered by the CJPA to measure the impact of the legislation on our product experience.
Google claims only 2% of search queries are related to news
Zaidi highlighted people’s changing news consumption habits and its impact on Google search queries (emphasis mine):
“It’s no secret that people get their news from sources such as short videos, newsletters, social media and curated podcasts, while many avoid news entirely. Following these trends, Only 2% of queries on Google Search are related to news”.
Despite the lower proportion of news queries, Google hopes to continue helping news publishers gain exposure on its platform.
However, “the CJPA as currently constructed will terminate these investments,” Zaidi said.
Call for a different approach
Google insists that, in its current form, the CJPA undermines journalism in California and threatens to make things worse for all parties.
The company urged lawmakers to consider alternative ways to support journalism without harming smaller local outlets.
Google believes it has done a lot to help news publishers innovate over the past two decades:
“We launched Google News Showcase, which operates in 26 countries, including the United States, with more than 2,500 participating publications. Through the Google News program, we have partnered with more than 7,000 news publishers around the world, including California alone has 200 news organizations and 6,000 journalists.
Zaidi said the healthy development of journalism in California requires support from the state government and Has a broad base of private companies.
As the legislative process continues, Google is willing to work with California publishers and lawmakers to explore alternative pathways that would allow them to continue connecting news.
Featured image: Ismael Juan/Shutterstock
