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Microsoft Slams Google Over Threat To Shut Search Engine in Australia (ft.com) 44

Posted by msmash from the if-you-want-to-go,-go dept.
Microsoft has moved to capitalise on Google's threat to shut its search engine in Australia, throwing its weight behind efforts to make Big Tech pay for news content and offering to transfer small businesses to its rival service Bing at no cost. From a report: The Seattle-based company on Wednesday slammed Google's threat to exit Australia [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source] over the news media bargaining code and said it fully supported a draft law aimed at forcing technology groups to pay news providers for content. "One thing is clear: while other tech companies may sometimes threaten to leave Australia, Microsoft will never make such a threat," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, in a statement. "We are committed to supporting the country's national security and economic success."

Canberra's proposed news media bargaining code would introduce binding arbitration and non-discrimination clauses to protect publishers and force Google and Facebook to negotiate payments for carrying their content. Google has a 94.5 per cent market share in search in Australia, while Microsoft's Bing search engine holds 3.6 per cent, according to StatCounter, a web analytics company. Microsoft's decision to throw down the gauntlet will complicate Google's aggressive lobbying campaign against the draft legislation, which it has called "unworkable" and "unreasonable." Mel Silva, Google Australia's chief executive, said last month that if the code became law, Google would have "no real choice but to stop providing search in Australia."
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Microsoft Slams Google Over Threat To Shut Search Engine in Australia More

Microsoft Slams Google Over Threat To Shut Search Engine in Australia

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  • Fine... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by frank_adrian314159 ( 469671 ) on Wednesday February 03, 2021 @12:26PM (#61023470) Homepage

    This is how competition works - if Microsoft wants to replace Google in Australia, they can. We can then see if the laws are "unreasonable" and "unworkable". If so, then Microsoft will leave soon, too, and Australians can then just ask a passing 'roo for news and other search results. If not, maybe this is a reasonable and workable model to keep news organizations in business.

    • Re:Fine... (Score:4, Funny)

      by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Wednesday February 03, 2021 @12:43PM (#61023570)

      just ask a passing 'roo for news and other search results

      Well at least you'd hear something positive for a change.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tramp ( 68773 )
      If Google leaves and Microsoft market share grow explosive Microsoft surely will have to reconsider the "workable" part of this new law.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rob Y. ( 110975 )

      Perhaps. But do you think Microsoft is offering to pay news organizations to index and/or link to their content? Or does Bing just not include their content in its searches?

      If they're essentially offering to pay for something in order to get a leg up on their competition, that might not be kosher - especially if Windows is still considered to have a monopoly on the desktop, and they're willing to operate Bing at a loss to hurt the competition.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by toddz ( 697874 )
      I don't see why Google doesn't just remove all the Australian news sites from search results.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by stikves ( 127823 )

        From the Google's FAQ:

        "In this proposed law, “news” is defined vaguely and broadly—way beyond what most of us would consider “news”. There seems to be no clear or obvious distinction between news and non-news content, and the way that Google works, there is no algorithm that could navigate such a vague and broad definition."

      • How little memory you have, you would rather defend a company that pays no tax over a country that has been one of america's best friends for over a 100 years. Pathetic.
        • You are conflating very different issues. Yes, google should pay more tax in countries where their money is earned. No, google should not be forced to pay for merely linking to (vaguely defined) news, especially if they don't have the option of simply not linking. This is Murdoch getting a favour from the Australian party in power, who still think traditional media are worth paying off.
          • Murdoch or not, you should firstly remember your true friends. I am stunned you would pity or be concerned over Google and its billions rather than a true friend, who has always fought and died for freedom. Fuck search, its not the end of the world, freedom is however significantly more important.

    • So if it's about indexing news sites - don't index them and see the result.

    • Some other article made the insightful comment that Microsoft doesn't really care about Australia for its search engine business (which is all but dead) but merely to make life miserable for Google by institutionalizing paid hyperlinks, which will undermine Google's business model in the long term, at the price of ruining the entire internet.

      It seems Microsoft hasn't lost its backstabbing tricks.

  • Virtue signaling, pathetic edition. (Score:3, Funny)

    by BAReFO0t ( 6240524 ) on Wednesday February 03, 2021 @12:32PM (#61023506)

    Aka Microsoft comemrcial/traimwreck edition. ;)

    • Pretty much. While they squabble over doing business in Australia or not over how much it takes off their margins both are happily doing business with China who have placed a large part of their Uighur citizens in fucking concentration camps. The only conclusion is that neither company gives much of a fuck as long as they can make enough profit. So yeah, pure virtue signaling.

      I'm still using products from China though, so I suppose I'm just as guilty. If the world seems ugly it's only because when you ge
      • At least you're aware. But until more items than chocolate or coffee are labeled Fair Trade, there's not much of a choice if you want to exist in the modern world. I can't exactly source Fair Trade video cards or other technology equipment, at least as far as I know.
    • Yeh we all need Google and their search especially when they replace mega corporations with malware, go back a few days the story hit Slashdot.
  • shutdown their search engine in the US.

  • Would Microsoft withdraw Windows? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by xack ( 5304745 ) on Wednesday February 03, 2021 @12:48PM (#61023608)
    If a country ordered them to remove all telemetry? They already made a deal with making a Chinese government version of Windows and the various “N” versions of Windows. Microsoft knows they can lose Bing but not Windows.

    So many possible scenarios. A country forced to use Linux would be fun.
  • In a couple more years the Australian gov will call for an end to geo-locked content again and the cycle will repeat. https://m.huffingtonpost.com.a... [huffingtonpost.com.au]

  • Then we'll see how you like it.

  • ... Microsoft bought a controlling interest in UPI, Reuters, FOX News, the NYT, the WAPO, CNN, TNN, the Guardian, Le Monde,....

  • and offering to transfer small businesses to its rival service Bing at no cost.

    If I was a small business owner and was told Microsoft would move me to Bing, I would threaten to sue for loss of business.
  • Also coming soon to Australia from Microsoft: MSN dial-up service and Clippy the assistant paperclip!

  • Let 'em leave (Score:5, Informative)

    by Cryptimus ( 243846 ) on Wednesday February 03, 2021 @04:53PM (#61024580) Homepage

    I predict that a lack of Google search within a week would drive those same news organizations into the ground. Few people fire up a news website and nobody in their right mind will pay for them. Information is no longer the exclusive commodity it once was and why would I bother with a local web site when I could reach out to any number of international sites with broader reach than the usual suspects in Australia.

    This entire shitfest is due to Murdoch's news organizations and their control of the Liberal government. As usual, the Libs sell the Australian people down the river for their mates in business so they can be paid exorbitant 'consulting' fees once they retire from Parliament.

    Google is guilty of a lot, but provision of search benefits both consumers and the news organizations it directs those consumers to. Those organizations would make more money if they weren't so fucking obnoxious, so they can cry me a fucking river. They're assholes and I can't wait for the lack of Google Search to teach them a lesson.

    • Yeah because fuck people getting paid for their work unless they are you. You're an entitled cunt who thinks that people should work for you for free because you know how to install an operating system.

    • Few people fire up a news website

      It was a couple of years ago now, but I used to manage an IT Dept and had to produce a Proxy report every month. The most common sites were consistently smh.com.au, news.com.au and realestate.com.au, along with standard Google, Facebook etc. So I think you're wrong.

      As usual, the Libs sell the Australian people down the river for their mates in business so they can be paid exorbitant 'consulting' fees once they retire from Parliament.

      Them guys over there, they're bad ones. And us here, we're the good ones, right?
      Just curious, since you seem so emotionally attached to their subject, if you are Australian, why are you using the word asshole instead of arsehole? How very unAust

  • ...those archaic ten year old Bing search result.

  • ...said me, never before today. How things change.
  • Is the 'must disclose how ranking algorithms work and notify 28 days in advance of changes to said algorithms' still part of this code? That'd be the reason Google would have to pull all search: they'd lose their entire competitive advantage.
  • Good riddence if they go, hopefully people will learn that advertising including Google is a big scam.

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