Google Temporarily Removes Links to California News Sites Amid Legislative Dispute

The tech giant's move is a test to assess the impact of a proposed bill that would require payment for news content, highlighting tensions with state lawmakers.

Google has started a temporary test to remove links to California news sites for a small percentage of users to evaluate the effects of the California Journalism Preservation Act.
The bill, pushed by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, aims to make tech platforms compensate news publishers for using their content, citing fairness and the survival of local journalism.
Google argues that the bill could lead to decreased news quality and is an unacceptable business risk, prompting them to pause investments in the California news sector.
Similar legislation has led Google to take comparable actions in other regions, like Canada and Australia, where they have also temporarily blocked news links.
The outcome of this legislative battle could significantly impact the financial dynamics between large tech platforms and news publishers, as well as access to news for users.