Australia may soon not be able to access the world's most popular search engine. Google has threatened to disable its search function in Australia in response to new media code. The Australian government plans to pass a law that would make tech giants negotiate payments with local publishers and broadcasters for content included in search results or news feeds. This procedure will become mandatory. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, a government-appointed arbitrator would step in to set the rates. In other words, there is no way to avoid the payment. During a Senate hearing on Friday, Google Australia Managing Director Mel Silva said, "If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia." Notably, Google is not the only tech company to limit its services in Australia. Facebook also said it considered banning news content from its platform. However, local authorities are not going to give in to these claims. Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison quickly hit back, saying “we don’t respond to threats.”
