Google Tests Removal of California News Websites from Search as Lawmakers Eye ‘Link Tax’

Google said Friday it has begun testing the removal of links to California news websites in preparation for possible imposition of a “link tax” designed to support ailing newspapers and TV stations.

Since last year, state lawmakers have been considering Assembly Bill 886 in an effort to help the news industry. The legislation is backed by owners of legacy media, notably New Jersey-based Alden Global Capital that owns most of the state’s large newspapers, but opposed by independent publishers, including Times of San Diego.

The so-called California Journalism Protection Act would tax Google, Facebook and potentially Microsoft based on the number of links to articles on news websites. Revenue raised by the tax would be distributed to media companies based on their share of total links, with larger companies having more articles earning the most.

But Google maintains links are fundamentally a benefit to news organizations, which would otherwise not get as many readers.

“By helping people find news stories, we help publishers of all sizes grow their audiences at no cost to them. CJPA would up-end that model,” wrote Jaffer Zaidi, vice president of Global News Partnerships in Google’s official blog The Keyword.

“As we’ve shared when other countries have considered similar proposals, the uncapped financial exposure created by CJPA would be unworkable,” he wrote.

Similar laws in Spain, Australia and Canada were revised when Google removed news from search results in those countries.

Google said its testing process in California involves removing links to sites potentially covered by the law to measure its potential impact. The company is also pausing further investments in the California news ecosystem through the Google News Initiative.

Legacy media has long argued that Google and other large tech companies have undermined the market for local news, though newspapers and TV stations were slow to embrace the internet and have continued to focus on printing and traditional broadcasting.

Google warned that “media conglomerates and hedge funds” could use revenue generated by a link tax “to continue to buy up local California newspapers, strip them of journalists, and create more ghost papers that operate with a skeleton crew.”

Buffy Wicks, the Oakland assembly member who sponsored the bill, said negotiations with Google are continuing.

“This is a bill about basic fairness — it’s about ensuring platforms pay for the content they repurpose,” said Wicks. “We are committed to continuing negotiations with Google and all other stakeholders to secure a brighter future for California journalists and ensure that the lights of democracy stay on.”