Tech Guide Editor Stephen Fenech has ridiculed Google’s open letter as “a scare campaign meant to put fear into its users”.
Google published a bizarre open letter in response to the ACCC draft code of conduct which could force digital giants like Google and Facebook to pay for Australian media content.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission quickly slammed Google’s letter for containing “misinformation” and insisted “Google will not be required to charge Australians for the use of its free services” as it claimed in its open letter.
Mr Fenech agreed with the ACCC Chair, saying the letter was “filled with all kinds of statements saying that free search might be under threat, that search results may vary greatly, and that large media companies will have control of a lot of data”.
“It looks like a bit of a scare campaign from Google, trying to rally users,” he said.
“This open letter was meant to put a bit of fear into users, thinking that this code may affect the way they know Google and its search results.”
