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Google expresses concern over media sustainability bill
The US tech giant has also suggested setting up an independent body to discuss the proposed bill to avoid the direct involvement of either tech or media companies.
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The logo of the United States’ multinational technology giant, Google, is seen in this photo taken on Feb. 14, 2020 in Brussels. (AFP/Kenzo Tribouillard)
G
lobal tech giant Google has expressed a desire to be included in the ongoing discussion over a draft regulation that, if approved, will require digital platforms to comply with several requirements as demanded by the media industry.
Dubbed the media sustainability bill, it contains several provisions that Google has deemed might "not align with the wish of all or many" to build a sustainable online news ecosystem.
Google pointed to several provisions in the proposed draft that required digital platforms to reveal their algorithms to media companies and share user data related to content from online news outlets, the former of which it said might give “unfair advantages over other sites”.
"Regulations that are too restrictive or one-sided could hinder our ability to deliver [our] services effectively to all users," Google said on Tuesday in a statement on its official blog.
Read also: News firms push for a rule on ads-revenue sharing and algorithm in Big Tech
It also addressed a provision on responsibility for content moderation in the draft bill, saying the country already had a strong regulation and that making another restrictive rule may “weigh on the industry and media companies”.
Regarding one provision in the draft bill requiring digital platforms to share their ad revenue with news outlets, Google said its search engine had driven much online traffic to news websites, while it did not run ads or make money from news publications.
