1 month ago
Gov. Gavin Newsom's agency is staying silent connected a Democrat-led measure moving done nan legislature that would create a "link tax" requiring large tech companies, for illustration Google, to salary media companies for linking to their pages.
Last week, Google began removing news links to news pages while nan legislation, dubbed nan California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), is nether consideration. The bill, authored by Democrat Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, would efficaciously complaint Google, Microsoft, Facebook and different large tech companies for linking to authorities news websites. The collected "link tax," arsenic Google calls it, would spell toward supporting struggling newsrooms, according to nan text.
While Newsom's agency declined to "comment connected pending legislation" pioneered by his Democrat counterparts to Fox News Digital, nan politician antecedently partnered pinch Google connected initiatives during nan COVID-19 pandemic successful 2020, specified arsenic incorporating nan state's "earthquake early informing exertion into each Android phones."
At nan time, Newsom gushed complete nan partnership, saying, "It’s not each time that Silicon Valley looks to authorities government for state-of-the-art innovation, but that’s precisely what is happening today."
PRESSED BY GOP SENATOR, ZUCKERBERG APOLOGIZES MID-HEARING TO FAMILIES OF VICTIMS OF BIG TECH HARMS IN AUDIENCE
Gov. Gavin Newsom is remaining quiet regarding a caller measure that would create a "link tax" requiring large tech companies to salary media companies for linking to their sites. (Screenshot/NBC)
Also successful 2020, Newsom collaborated pinch Google to springiness distant 4,000 Chromebooks and free Wi-Fi basking spots for mobile users up to 90 days pinch unlimited broadband net entree to 100,000 households successful agrarian regions of nan state. In 2021, Newsom signed SB 7 into law, which changed existent property zoning laws to let denser lodging construction. Alongside him was Google's president of world affairs, Kent Walker.
"To beryllium present pinch Google and nan unthinkable backstage assemblage finance and nan religion and devotion to nan early of this metropolis and this region and this authorities is precisely wherever we want to beryllium and it’s why we are here," Newsom said to reporters astatine nan time.
However, Google said successful a connection past week nan projected CJPA, successful its existent form, would "up-end" its exemplary of helping publishing sites turn their audiences without financial penalties.
"As we’ve shared erstwhile different countries person considered akin proposals, nan uncapped financial vulnerability created by CJPA would beryllium unworkable," Google said successful a statement. "If enacted, CJPA successful its existent shape would create a level of business uncertainty that nary institution could accept."
CA REPUBLICAN CRITICIZES GAVIN NEWSOM'S HOMELESS STRATEGY: 'YOU CAN'T KEEP THROWING MONEY AT THE SYMPTOMS'
The Media Research Center says that from 2008 done February 2024, "Google has utilized its powerfulness to thief push to electoral triumph nan astir wide candidates, sloppy of party, while targeting their opponents for censorship." (Photographer: Marlena Sloss/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The large tech institution said that to "prepare" for imaginable CJPA consequences, they person begun a soft roll-out of removing links to California news websites to trial nan effect it would person connected nan company's "product experience."
How overmuch nan companies would person to salary would beryllium decided by a sheet of 3 judges done an arbitration process nether nan bill.
The measure intends to extremity nan nonaccomplishment of publicity jobs, which person been disappearing quickly arsenic bequest media companies person struggled to profit successful nan integer age. More than 2,500 newspapers person closed successful nan U.S. since 2005, according to Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. California has mislaid much than 100 news organizations successful nan past decade, according to Wicks.
BIDEN AGENCY 'LIKELY' VIOLATED FREE SPEECH BY WORKING WITH BIG TECH TO CENSOR ELECTION CONTENT: COURT
The Real Facebook Oversight Board embarked connected nan Facebook Receipts task to expose really large tech lobbyists utilized powerfulness and power to termination would-be-landmark antitrust bills. (iStock)
"This is simply a measure astir basal fairness — it’s astir ensuring that platforms salary for nan contented they repurpose," Wicks said. "We are committed to continuing negotiations pinch Google and each different stakeholders to unafraid a brighter early for California journalists and guarantee that nan lights of populist enactment on."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
However, Google argues nan measure "undermines news" successful nan Golden State.
"To debar an result wherever each parties suffer and nan California news manufacture is near worse off, we impulse lawmakers to return a different approach," nan institution said.
Big tech companies person besides been targeted successful caller years by authorities officials and Republican lawmakers, who claim nan Biden administration's alleged coordination pinch nan hunt motor giants could unfairly effect nan sermon astir nan 2024 election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jamie Joseph is simply a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital sum of nan Senate.
