Google threatens to shut down its search engine in Australia …

Google threatened deactivate your search engine in Australia if the Canberra Parliament passes a law that would require it, like Facebook and other big tech companies, to pay local media to publish your content.

Under the bill, which was introduced to parliament last month, the government will appoint a intermediary to determine the amount to be paid for the consideration of content published by internet platforms in the event that an agreement is not reached by negotiation between the parties.

“If this version of the code became law, it would leave us no choice but stop the availability of Google search available in Australia “, Google Australia chief executive Mel Silva said in a virtual conference before a Senate committee to review the bill.

Silva stressed that this option would occur “in the worst case scenario”, insisting that for Google, the legislative proposal “would create an unmanageable risk for our companies in a digital economy. It is not compatible with the functioning of search engines. “

After learning of the threat from Google, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Brisbrane that Canberra Parliament and Government set the rules of the game and “if you would like to work with them in Australia you are welcome, but we We do not respond to threats. “

The Senate committee expects to report on the bill on February 12, which has been criticized by World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee because in his opinion the bill contradicts “the principles of the Web by requiring payment to link certain online content”.

For their part, the big US government trade officials Daniel Bahar and Karl Ehlers urged Canberra to “put on hold” its plans to move forward with the project, saying it could raise concerns “about Australia’s international trade obligations,” they wrote in a statement. letter to committee.

The proposal, which aims to protect local media, responds to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recommendations set out in December 2019 in a report on the impact of search engines and social media on the advertising market and medias.

A few days ago, Google made an agreement with French newspaper publishers on a payment system for the publication of their content, which ends a dispute that has lasted for months in this country and reaches the courts.