REACTION: Google Will Never Act in “Good Faith” When it Comes to Preserving the News

Today, French antitrust authorities fined Google $593 million for failing to negotiate a deal in “good faith” with news publishers to carry news on its platform.

According to French officials, Google ignored a 2020 order from French regulators to negotiate a licensing deal with publishers that would facilitate proper compensation to news organizations for their content.  If Google fails to develop fresh ideas for compensating news publishers within two months, French regulators may impose further fines of up to 900,000 euros (about $1.065 million) per day.

This serves as yet another example of Google exhibiting monopolistic practices to squeeze news publishers and the industry at every possible chance, even when legally required to negotiate in good faith. We have seen it before when the Daily Mail sued Google over unfair advertising practices, spotlighting again how Google has long abused its monopoly power – rigging ad prices against news publishers to reduce their revenue, punishing publishers that don’t use Google products,  and favoring their own products – to take further hold of the market, with deleterious effects on how Americans can get their news. 

Policymakers worldwide are increasing pressure on internet companies that are profiting from the unfair use of content from news organizations. U.S. officials need to follow the example from their global counterparts and regulate Big Tech before it’s too late. 

“They’re always going to rig the game,” says Nick Charles, co-founder of the Save Journalism Project, “Big tech companies like Google act as if they are above the law and can do anything they want, including taking from newsrooms without fair compensation or any at all.”

###