Google said that it would shut down its search engine in Australia if the government implements media code that will make it and Facebook pay media companies for the right to use their content.
According to a report published by Reuters, Australia is on course to pass laws that would make tech giants negotiate payments with local publishers and broadcasters for content included in search results or news feeds. If they cannot strike a deal, a government-appointed arbitrator will decide the price.
“Coupled with the unmanageable financial and operational risk 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,” Mel Silva, managing director for Australia and New Zealand, told the Senate Economics Legislation Committee.
Facebook Inc. has also threatened to block its news in Australia.
