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1611312858523564500
Fri, 2021-01-22 05:09
SYDNEY: Alphabet’s Google said on Friday it would block its search engine in Australia if the government proceeds with a new code that would force it and Facebook to pay media companies for the right to use their content.
Google’s threat escalates a battle with publishers such as News Corp. that is being closely watched around the world. The search giant had warned that its 19 million Australian users would face degraded search and YouTube experiences if the new code were enforced.
![Mel Silva, left, the managing director of Google Australia and New Zealand, appears via a video link during a Senate inquiry into a mandatory code of conduct proposed by the government at Parliament House in Canberra on Jan. 22, 2021. (AAP Image via AP)](https://www.arabnews.com/sites/default/files/2021/01/22/2439506-201219307.jpg)
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