Hans Rustad 
Foto: Jens Meyer/AP/Scanpix
Google har, uten å si noe, utestengt flere australske nettaviser fra sin søkemotor, samtidig som Australia forbereder en lov som vil pålegge Google å betale for innholdet de formidler.
Kritikere sier «eksperimentet» beviser Googles dominerende makt. De kan få nettsteder til å forsvinne.
The Australian Financial Review first reported that Google had tweaked its algorithm to bury links from major Australian news providers. Google confirmed the tweak and downplayed it, adding that it conducts “tens of thousands of experiments” every year.
Nine, the publisher behind the Sydney Morning Herald, told the Guardian in a statement: “Google is an effective monopoly and by withholding access to such timely, accurate and important information they show clearly how they impact what access Australians have to that. At the same time, Google are now demonstrating how easily they can make Australian news providers who fall out of their favour effectively disappear from the internet – a chilling illustration of their extraordinary market power.”
Kravet om at Google må betale for innholdet andre produserer, ble møtt med skepsis da det ble lansert, Men det møter nok langt større forståelse i dag. Google er et av verdens rikeste selskaper.
