• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, April 14, 2024

A California link tax created by a pending bill in the California state legislation, the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), would require Google to pay for connecting Californians to news articles. 

If it is passed, CJPA may result in changes to the services that Google can offer Californians and the traffic provided to California publishers.

“We have long said that this is the wrong approach to supporting journalism," Vice President of Global News Partnerships Jaffer Zaidi wrote in a post Friday.  

Zaidi said Google will begin experimenting with removing links to California news websites on its search platform, in response to the bill.

The California Journalism Preservation Act would require search engine news sites, as well as social-media companies such as Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to pay a fee for every article that is shared on their platforms. The bill has passed the Assembly and sits in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Zaidi wrote in the post that CJPA undermines news in California. 

“We don't take these decisions lightly and want to be transparent with California publishers, lawmakers, and our users, he wrote. “To avoid an outcome where all parties lose and the California news industry is left worse off, we urge lawmakers to take a different approach.”

Zaidi went on to explain Google's history with publishers. The company has provided support to help news publishers navigate the changing digital landscape. 

The company rolled out Google News Showcase, which operates in 26 countries, including the U.S., and has more than 2,500 participating publications. 

Through the Google News Initiative it partnered with more than 7,000 news publishers worldwide, including 200 news organizations and 6,000 journalists in California alone.