Google Threatens to Shut Down Search Engine Operations in Australia

Canberra(New Delhi), 22/1: Google Inc. has threatened the Australian Government to stop its Search Engine Operations in the Country. The threat from Google is over a proposed media bargaining law that directs Google to pay news publishers.

Mel Silva, Managing Director of Google Australia and New Zealand, appeared before a public hearing of the Senate Economics Legislation Committee that is reviewing the new law and said,  “Coupled with the unmanageable financial and operational risk if this version of the Code were to become law it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search available in Australia.”

Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), who drafted the law and said that the law won’t affect the business of Google.

“Google will not be required to charge Australians for the use of its free services such as Google Search and YouTube, unless it chooses to do so,” it said.

The new media law is currently reviewed and it targets Facebook and Google.