Google Blocks Links To Californian News Sites

(RTTNews) - Google implemented new measures to prevent California news links from showing up in its search results ahead of the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA). The company is testing this change with a small group of California users to understand how it might impact them. Google announced that some users will no longer see links to California news websites in their search results.

This proposed CJPA legislation aims to make tech companies such as Google and Meta pay a fee for utilizing news content, with the profits being reinvested in journalism jobs. The bill, which was introduced in March 2023 and is awaiting a hearing by the state's Senate Judiciary Committee, would mandate that companies pay a "journalism usage fee" when displaying ads adjacent to news content.

Jaffer Zaidi, Google's VP of Global News Partnerships, has criticized the legislation, arguing that it would disrupt the company's current support model for publishers and give larger media conglomerates an unfair advantage over smaller, local news publishers. Zaidi has expressed concerns that the CJPA could result in an increase in low-quality news sources and limit the diversity of news available to Google users.

According to Google, the legislation would have an impact on the company's business model, prompting it to halt investments in California's news ecosystem. The company is now conducting tests among a small group of California users to understand the potential impact of CJPA and has been in discussions with California regulators to explore alternative solutions.

Zaidi has emphasized the importance of supporting the California news industry, both by the government and private companies, and advocating for contributions that do not disadvantage smaller local publishers in favor of larger players and hedge fund owners.