In many conversations I have about Google/Facebook and the news media bargaining code, one of these points comes up (the exact points Google is pushing):

1. This is just for Murdoch
2. This will kill the open internet

So let me tell you why they’re both wrong.

1. This is for Murdoch.

The code will benefit Murdoch. It will also benefit Guardian, ABC & SBS, your local paper (if they are online)...all news media outlets that meet ACCC criteria.

I’m not a fan of Murdoch, but even a stuffed clock tells the right time twice a day, etc

2. This will break the open internet.

The internet is not open anymore. It is controlled by a couple of global monopolies who make their money from your data. The internet was once more open, it was once a more equal and democratic space, but that era is over.

Note: I find point 2 far more persuasive, and it is brought up by people I respect.

But I honestly think the web has changed so profoundly since I started researching it decades ago that it’s a different place.

The currency has changed. The rules have changed.

So this has just happened in France, and will be replicated in other European countries.

Which is EXACTLY what Google don’t want.

Perhaps they decided that pulling out was better than paying here too (ie setting another precedent for others to copy) https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/21/tech/google-pays-french-publishers/index.html