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0 pointsnindalf5y ago0 comments

Google can’t do that. The law specifically prohibits them from stopping the display of links to Australian news websites if they’re still indexing other news websites. They must show these links and must pay for the privilege of doing so.

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3 comments · 1 top-level

sullyj35y ago· 2 in thread

I'm not advocating they stop showing the links. I'm advocating they show the links without the content excerpts - the use of which, to my understanding, is the justification for being asked to pay. Since the excerpts are the websites' intellectual property, whereas the links themselves are just links. Surely you couldn't have to pay to link to a website, that would be preposterous. Maybe I'm mistaken though.

They could even have a nice big passive aggressive message "Excerpt redacted due to the XYZ act of 2021. Click here to learn more about how Australian legislation is fucking stupid"

nindalfOP5y ago

You are mistaken.

From the code

> Why is this code necessary?

> The code seeks to address the fundamental bargaining power imbalance between Australian news media businesses and major digital platforms. This imbalance has resulted in news media businesses accepting less favourable terms for the inclusion of news on digital platform services than they would otherwise agree to.

"inclusion of news on digital platform services" - the mere inclusion, nothing about the presentation.

georgebarnett5y ago

Agree this is where the law is now.

It’s an interesting thought experiment to wonder if we would have got here if Google News wasn’t a giant pile of summaries.

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