California may join Australia and Canada in forcing Big Tech to pay for news content, setting up a major confrontation with Silicon Valley.
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks has introduced the California Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would require Big Tech to pay a “journalism usage fee” whenever advertising is paired with news content, according to LA Times.
Needless to say, the California News Publishers Assn. and the News/Media Alliance, along with other news advocacy groups, are supporting the bill.
“Big Tech has become the de facto gatekeeper of journalism and is using its dominance to set rules for how news content is displayed, prioritized and monetized,” said CNPA Chairperson Emily Charrier. “Our members are the sources of that journalism, and they deserve to be paid fair market value for news they originate.”
Should the bill pass, it will likely set up a major confrontation with Silicon Valley companies. Google and Facebook famously threatened drastic action in response to a similar law that was passed in Australia, with Facebook even blocking news altogether for a short time. Facebook has threatened similar action in response to such a measure in Canada.
