Google Protests California's Journalism Payment Plan and Blocks News Links

Google is protesting a California bill that would require it and other platforms to pay media outlets for linking to their content, by beginning a "short-term test" that will block links to local California news sources for a "small percentage" of users in the state. The move is in response to the California Journalism Preservation Act, which Google claims amounts to a "link tax." The company is also halting new spending on California newsrooms and threatening to limit the services it offers in the state. This comes as tech companies like Meta have also used similar tactics in response to laws aiming to force them to pay for journalism.