Australian PM Gives Google a Huge Smackdown, 3470

Good afternoon, I’m still reporting on a big-tech smackdown.
Google has threatened to shut down its search engine service for Australians but the government -in essence- said, who cares?
Australian legislators have proposed a new bill that makes Google Pay for the news stories it displays. However, the tech giant claimed in a recent Australian Senate hearing that the government's proposals we're unworkable.
Doctor Mel Silva, MD, head of Google Australia and New Zealand, told an Australian Senate hearing death the proposals under consideration were unworkable.
"If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google search available in Australia. And that would be a bad outcome not only for us, but also for the Australian people, media diversity, and the small businesses who use our products every day."
Silver said that Google would be willing to pay news publishers something for their content but not as per the proposals currently under consideration.
Shortly after the proposals were put forward early last year, Google added a notice to its site warning :

“ the way Aussies search everyday on Google is at risk.”
Shortly thereafter, Google stepped it up another notch by removing some local news content from its search results in Australia as part of their experiment. Critics dubbed the move a chilling illustration of the firm's power.
The firm's long running dispute with Australia caused Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to dish out a stern spanking:
“We don't respond to threats . Australia makes our rules 4 things you can do in Australia. That's done in our parliament. It's done by our government. And that's how things work here in Australia.”
According to Chris Cooper, executive director of the Australian branch of reset, an organization which lobbies for greater accountability for the tech Giants:

“When a private Corporation tries to use its monopoly power to threaten and bully a sovereign nation, it's a surefire sign that regulation is long overdue.
“Internet search is necessary for society and economy. Google enjoys the enormous advantage of being giant in the space but thinks it can issue the responsibility. Just not how things should work.”