South Africa's Competition Commission has initiated proposals aimed at imposing substantial fines and regulatory reforms on major tech platforms, including Google, Meta, TikTok, and others, asserting their adverse impact on local media. Google's dominance reportedly hampers South African journalism by prioritizing foreign over local content, specifically affecting smaller and community outlets. The Commission's provisional report suggests millions in fines for Google and recommends algorithm changes to boost local news visibility. The initiatives seek to ensure local publishers are adequately compensated for digital traffic and rectify the ongoing erosion of local media over the years.
The inequity in Google's search algorithm has materially contributed to the erosion of the media in South Africa over the past 14 years and will continue to do so unless remedied.
The Commission has argued that the Big Tech platforms unfairly impact local media businesses by favouring foreign content, which hampers the visibility of South African news publishers.
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