The News/Media Alliance, a journalism trade organization and advocacy group, on Tuesday asked federal government officials to investigate Google after the tech giant said it would limit links to California news outlets in its search results. (LA Times / Company Town)
In its letter to the DOJ and FTC, the Alliance points out several potential laws that Google could be in violation of as a result of its news blocking including the Lanham Act, the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act, and asks that the DOJ and FTC investigate whether the technology giant has violated these laws. (NMA)
On Friday, Google announced it had begun removing links to California news websites for some users in response to a bill that would force Google, Meta and others to pay news outlets for their content. The Mountain View-based search giant said it launched the “test” to gauge “the impact of the legislation on our product experience.” (CNN)
Dozens of Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers ran editorials over the weekend arguing that Google’s threat to cut off news in California “is a bully tactic.” (Axios)