[anothernewdude]

> “Google’s threat to withdraw its search engine from Australia is chilling to anyone who cares about democracy.”

Is it? Or have they just realised they may have just stopped the business model that has kept search engines free?

Even if you think the business model survives, how is this even close to chilling? So you get competitors in its place. How does that hurt democracy?

What hurts democracy is Media companies lobbying for laws that suit only them. Giving them money for their content won't make them produce actual news.

If they want to be paid extra for listing, then that should make them rank lower. That's how business works - their news is more costly, and therefore of lower value. This law smacks of protectionism.

[AndrewSChapman]

I think the supposition is that if Google and FB have to pay for news articles from proper news outlets with proper journalists, they may decide not do. At the same time, people will not change their habits of getting their news from social media. This will lead to most people getting "news" from writers that are not qualified journalists, increasing the echo chamber effect and narrowing the range of information people have to reason with. This is the danger to democracy.

[anothernewdude]

That happens regardless. People pick their own sources, and aren't optimising for truth.