Google Begins Blocking News From California Outlets Over State Bill Google has temporarily blocked access to California-based news outlets for some state residents, as the search giant escalates its battle with the state over a landmark bill which would force tech giants to pay online publishers for their content. In doing so, the company has revived a political tactic used repeatedly by the tech industry to try and derail similar legislation in places like Canada and Australia...
Tech giant is protesting proposed law that would require large online platforms to pay ‘journalism usage fee’Google has temporarily blocked links from local news outlets in California from appearing in search results in response to the advancement of a bill that would require tech companies to pay publications for links that articles share. The change applies only to some people using Google in California, though it is not clear how many.The California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA) would...
California has some of the nation's highest electricity rates, and power bills are rising fast. That's a problem because it makes it harder for people to afford switching from fossil fuels to clean electric cars and appliances that are essential to combating climate change. Who wants to invest thousands of dollars in a heat pump or induction stove only to be punished with higher bills? But there's a proposal by the California Public Utilities Commission that would ease the burden by changing the...
New studies claim that the absence of news content on Facebook has undermined political discourse on the platform.
Nearly half of Tory MPs, including five leadership hopefuls, failed to support Rishi Sunak’s flagship smoking ban on Tuesday.]]>
José Vadi’s “Chipped: Writing From a Skateboarder’s Lens” is, literally, a collection of essays. But it’s also a map of Vadi’s personal California. From Pomona, where he was raised, to the Bay Area, where he lived until recently, “Chipped” charts the state’s urban spaces as seen from the back of a board, a network of routes traced block by block by block. Vadi’s vision of the neighborhoods is granular. “Off I went down Broadway and towards the bike lanes connecting Rockridge with neighboring...
A bill aimed at reforming Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans customer bills passed in the Louisiana House on Tuesday, April 16.
Portugal's far-right party Chega plans legal action against Meta for imposing a 10-year Facebook ban, citing political censorship and infringement of freedom of expression.
After Iran's strikes on Israel, Speaker Mike Johnson is facing pressure to pass a foreign aid deal to support the embattled country. Senators passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes money for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific in February. The deal also includes billions for Ukraine, which many in the GOP don't support. Johnson is also facing the threat of removal from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene if he moves forward with the Senate's bill
"The fight over the California Journalism Preservation Act is not just a fight for local news’ survival in California, but a fight for democracy."
Google is removing searchable links to California news websites.
Google is pulling links to California news sites ahead of pending news-focused legislation. That bill, dubbed the California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), would require Google to pay for providing news content. Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s vice president of global news partnerships, said in a Friday (April 12) blog entry that the tech giant would conduct “a short-term […]