Australia: Google calls on internet users against media compensation law

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4 min

Google counter-attacked this Monday, August 17, facing an Australian bill aimed at forcing it to pay the media for their content. The American digital giant has turned to the public in an open letter arguing that the text would pose a risk to its services and to the personal data of its users. Australia denounces a maneuver of "disinformation".

Publicity

Canberra unveiled at the end of July a draft "  binding code of conduct  " supposed to govern relations between media in great financial difficulty and the giants that dominate the Internet, foremost among which Google and Facebook.

In addition to the obligation to pay in exchange for content, the code deals with issues such as access to user data, the transparency of algorithms and the order in which content appears in the information flows of platforms and the results of research. It provides for penalties reaching several million euros.

Google is up against this initiative unveiled after 18 months of negotiations which failed to bring the two camps together. The American giant responded on Monday through an "  Open Letter to Australians  ", appearing via a pop-up on the page of its search engine.

"  Unfair  "

"  The way Australians do research every day is at risk,  " reads the letter, which argues that the bill "  could cause your data to be turned over to major media groups. The law would require us to give a group of companies - the media companies - an unfair advantage over anyone who has a website, YouTube channel, or small business. Media companies would obtain information that would allow them to artificially inflate their ranking [in research, Editor's note], even when others are a better result.  "

Google observes that its mission is also to protect the data of its users. “  This law will force Google to tell the media 'how they can access' data on the use you make of our products,” indicates the American giant. There is no indication as to whether the submitted data will be protected, or how it could be used by media companies.  "

Google notes that it has partnerships with Australian media. "  But rather than encouraging these kinds of partnerships, the law will give media companies special treatment and encourage them to make huge and unreasonable requests that will endanger our free service  ," the letter continued.

"  Remedy an imbalance  "

The Australian initiative is being followed closely around the world at a time when the media is suffering in a digital economy where advertising revenue is increasingly captured by Facebook, Google and other big tech firms. The media crisis has been compounded by the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus. In Australia dozens of newspapers have been closed and hundreds of journalists sacked in recent months.

The Australian Competition Constable (ACCC), who drew up the code, spoke out against the “  misinformation  ” contained in the open letter. "  Google will not have to charge Australians for using its services like Google Search and YouTube, unless it chooses to do so, " said ACCC President Rod Sims. Google will not have to share additional customer data with Australian media unless it chooses to do so. The draft code will allow Australian media to negotiate fair compensation for the work of their journalists that is included in Google services  , ”said Rod Sims. For the president of the ACCC, the code aims "to  remedy an imbalance in the negotiating power between the Australian media and Facebook and Google  ".

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