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Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google will temporarily block California-based news sites for some state residents as the search giant steps up its opposition to a state bill that would force big tech companies to pay publishers.
Jaffer Zaidi, vice president of global news at Google Partnerships, said in a blog post Friday that the company would conduct “a short-term test for a small percentage of California users” to study the possible effects of the California Journalism Preservation Act on its products.
By blocking news, the company is again using a strategy that tech giants have adopted in their efforts to reduce bills in countries like Canada and Australia that require payments for articles that appear on their platforms.
The bill “would create a level of business uncertainty that no business could accept,” Zaidi said. “To avoid a win-win outcome that leaves California’s journalism industry worse off, we urge lawmakers to take a different approach.”
The company would pause planned news investments in the state “until there is clarity on California's regulatory environment,” Zaidi said.
