Google announced its decision to restrict access to California news sites for some users by removing links from its search results, as a response to the pending California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA).
Driving the news: The CJPA would require tech companies like Google to pay a “journalism usage fee” when they sell ads alongside news content, which Google claims would disrupt its business model.
- Supporters of the CJPA, including the California News Publishers Association and the News/Media Alliance, argue that the bill would help journalism outlets struggling to gain enough digital subscriptions to survive and level the playing field.
- On the other hand, critics of the bill, including Google, contend that it would favor media conglomerates and hedge funds, possibly putting smaller outlets at a disadvantage.
What they’re saying: Jaffer Zaidi, VP of Google’s Global News Partnerships, expressed concerns about the potential impact of CJPA, stating, “If passed, CJPA may result in significant changes to the services we can offer Californians and the traffic we can provide to California publishers.”
- Google mentioned that it is pausing further investments in the California news ecosystem.
- Google, through its Google News Initiative, has partnered with thousands of news publishers globally but has paused the expansion of this initiative due to the regulatory uncertainty in California.
