EXCLUSIVE: Google’s Secret Plan to Bankrupt Local Media Houses
Behind the scenes, Google is cooking up a sinister plot to strangle the life out of South Africa’s media industry. The tech giant has been quietly supporting the Competition Commission’s plan to create a fund, paid for by Big Tech, that would pay media houses for news content based on traffic. But what seems like a benevolent gesture is actually a clever ploy to crush local media houses and cement Google’s dominance.
The commission, led by Noluthando Jokazi, has been investigating the dominance of Big Tech in the media industry, and Google’s response has been to throw its weight behind the plan. But don’t be fooled – this is not about supporting local media, it’s about further entrenching Google’s grip on the industry.
Media24 CEO Ishmet Davidson has been sounding the alarm, warning that Google’s refusal to disclose its revenue in South Africa is a clear sign of its dominance and abuse of power. But the commission seems more interested in placating Google than in holding it accountable.
The proposed fund would be a thinly veiled attempt to buy off local media houses, using their own content against them. It’s a cleverly designed trap, designed to lure them into a false sense of security and then crush them beneath the weight of Google’s overwhelming power.
But the commission is not without its own biases. Jokazi has been quoted as saying that the fund would help local media houses get remunerated for their content, but this is just a euphemism for buying them off. The real agenda is to silence local voices and perpetuate Google’s dominance.
The clock is ticking for South Africa’s media industry. Will it fall victim to Google’s sinister plans, or will it rise up and demand justice? Only time will tell.
