[gm]

I think this would be a huge win for growing clout and usage of alternative search engines. Not sure if Google knows what it's asking for.

Now if Facebook follows suit, even so much better. It'd be a huge win for privacy.

[sidibe]

> I think this would be a huge win for growing clout and usage of alternative search engines

Would other search engines not be subject to the same rules? Not much detail in the article but if there's a rule that you have to pay to link to the news sites and you have to include them in results, I don't think many alternative search engines would want to participate either

[SpicyLemonZest]

They wouldn't be subject to the same rules. The proposed law only applies to companies which the government designates as having "a significant bargaining imbalance between Australian news providers and the group". (I believe this is the current text: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bi...)

[sidibe]

Interesting thanks. I don't think the idea makes any sense but as just a random weapon for going after big tech it would be effective for gm's comment. They could make it so it's just not worth it for Google to do search in Australia giving room for others

[halfdan]

Until the others grow into the market and get bargaining power.. to then retreat and leave room for the next.. vicious cycle?

[Jaxkr]

I think they know the risk; they are confident competing search engines can’t, well, compete.

[londons_explore]

Other search engines can't compete mostly because they don't have enough click data to build good ranking models.

If Google shut down for just a few days, competing engines would quickly gather click data, and would rapidly be able to close the gap.

Add that to the fact users will change their default search engines away during any Google shutdown, and very negative Google press, and you have a recipe for Google losing the entire market.