Google threatens to withdraw search engine from Australia

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-55760673

by mhandley • 6 years ago

18 9 6 years ago

bbc.co.uk

I always wondered what happens if Google gives places like Australia the big middle finger, completely withdraws all their infrastructure, lays off all the Australian workforce, completely and entirely closes shop... But still serves Google Australia from say, Singapore.

What recourse does the Australian government have?

dbetteridge3• 6 years ago

Geo-blocking is probably their only recourse, but given the reliance on google cloud/google maps/android in Australia that would probably end up in the political party getting ousted in the next election.

dbetteridge3• 6 years ago

If the Australian government wants to try and force Google to make payments that exceed the revenue they get in Australia and is effectively preventing simply de-listing news sites (this is in the code).

This seems like a reasonable approach to me.

I don't agree generally with a lot of Googles business practices but I feel like this is just a desperate attempt to increase profits by the Murdoch media in Australia.

Disclaimer: Am Australian

merricksb• 6 years ago

Earlier discussions, sorted by popularity:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25867264 (67 points/8 hours ago/111 comments)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25789773 (46 points/6 days ago/70 comments)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25867547 (35 points/7 hours ago/16 comments)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25866493 (26 points/9 hours ago/13 comments)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25867742 (26 points/7 hours ago/11 comments)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25867761 (15 points/7 hours ago/11 comments)

dvdkon• 6 years ago

If the Australian government feels so strongly about the declining revenue of news publishers, they have a host of reasonable options. They could subsidize them, they could lower their taxes, they could even substantially raise Google and Facebook's taxes (ideally without directly naming them in the law). But telling two (foreign!) companies "you have to pay these people, because you've outcompeted them" is just not how this is done. I don't see what made them choose this unprecedentedly direct and confrontational option.

dbetteridge3• 6 years ago

They already do effectively subsidise them (by not enforcing taxes properly)

2013 News Corp had just won a court case against the Australian Tax Office (ATO) in the Federal Court and was duly awarded a tax refund of $882 million. At the Tax Office, they were not happy. Some badly wanted to appeal the decision. After all, News was then the ATO’s “number one corporate tax risk”, the nation’s premier tax dodger that is.
Insiders say the prospects of the Tax Office winning on appeal were good but the case was never re-contested. Taxpayers picked up the bill for what was a non-cash, paper transaction where News Corp’s Australian operations recorded a $2 billion loss and its tax haven entities a $2 billion gain.

Their tax from the last 5 years was less than $10M, while they got government subsidies of $40M. So not only are they paying no tax, the taxpayers are paying THEM. An American company, btw.

https://iknow.cch.com.au/document/atagUio1574205sl227210907/... (Court case with the Newscorp)

dustinmoris• 6 years ago

The problem with big tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Uber & Co. is that these companies _want_ to create a service to humans which is so good and so crucial that it is unimaginable to live without those, but then at the same time they don't want to bear any of the duties and responsibilities which come with such fundamental necessities in our society.

There is really no other way out of this. Either they have to be regulated down to a point where their market shares shrink to a level where people can live without them, or they have to accept that society wants to have a stake in the things which are fundamental necessities in their lives.

mcphage• 6 years ago

This was really well put, thank you.

rkangel• 6 years ago

I'm unclear why news has a special place here? There's lots of business that people to via Google to deal with, why news gets special legal treatment.

I'm all for restraining the Google monopoly but this feels a little weirdly targeted.

Google threatens to withdraw search engine from Australia

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