News on Medial

Google threatens to stop linking to news in New Zealand

Livemint · 1m

- Google has threatened to stop linking to news in New Zealand if a bill requiring digital platforms to pay for news articles is passed into law. - New Zealand aims to join Australia and Canada in passing legislation that compels tech companies like Google and Meta to pay for news content. - The bill proposes a "link tax" that would require Google to pay for linking to news articles, which the company argues is not the right approach. - Google has stated that it would discontinue its current agreements and support for New Zealand publishers if the bill becomes law. - Media outlets support the bill, citing declining advertising revenue and the need to address the power of digital platforms in the digital ad supply chain. - Google has previously made similar threats in Australia and Canada but later reached agreements to support news businesses.