Some laws really do amuse

We’ve mentioned this before around here:

Google has temporarily blocked links from local news outlets in California from appearing in search results in response to the advancement of a bill that would require tech companies to pay publications for links that articles share. The change applies only to some people using Google in California, though it is not clear how many.

The California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA) would require large online platforms to pay a “journalism usage fee” for linking to news sites based in the Golden state. The bill cleared the California assembly in 2023. To become law, it would need to pass in the Senate before being signed by the governor, Gavin Newsom.

As has happened in Spain, Australia, Canada and so on when such laws have been proposed. Of course, the Californian insistence is that this time will be different.

There’s a dual contention here.

Firstly, Google (and Facebook etc) profit from, perhaps even steal, the work of journalists and newspapers by presenting them in search and social media. This reduces the revenue to the newspapers and woes is us.

Secondly, the traffic generated by being in search results and social media is a vital source of income for journalism and newspapers.

Which is what leads to the conclusion that Google (and Facebook etc) must pay for the news being stolen, but must also continue to run the news they’re stealing.

Only politics could possibly advance such absurd logic. Which is one reason for - a very good example of -why we continually insist that politics really isn’t a good way to run the world.