Web inventor opposed to Australian plan to charge Facebook and Google

Tim Berners-Lee, the leading inventor of the Web in 1989, says Australia's plan to force digital giants to pay media for the use of their content is "

unworkable

" and undermines a "

fundamental principle

" of the Internet.

Read also: In Australia, Facebook threatens to prevent the sharing of press articles on its platforms

Canberra presented a draft "

binding code of conduct

" supposed to govern relations between media in great financial difficulty and the giants that dominate the internet, foremost Google and Facebook.

This regulation, which could come into force this year, would be a world first.

In his memoir dated Jan. 18, British physicist Tim Berners-Lee says he understands the need for news editors to be "

properly rewarded

" for their work.

But "

the constraints on the use of hypertext links are not the right way to achieve this goal,

" he says.

"

Make the

w

eb inapplicable worldwide

"

As part of an Australian Senate investigation into the initiative, he writes that "

the ability to link (hypertext) freely, i.e. without limits as to the content of the linked site and at no cost, is fundamental to the functioning of the Web, a way that has thrived so far and will continue to grow in the decades to come

”.

Read also: "The media, the first pillar of Europe's digital sovereignty in the face of GAFA"

Australia's plan provides for penalties of several million euros for breaches and targets

Facebook's "

news feed

" and Google searches.

The two internet giants have in return threatened to limit their services to Australian internet users.

"

If this precedent were followed elsewhere, it could make the web inapplicable worldwide,

" said Tim Berners-Lee, who "

therefore respectfully urges

" Australia to "

remove this mechanism

" from the code.

Berners-Lee is the inventor in 1989 of the hypertext link system, that is to say the possibility from a page, to click on keywords, which lead directly to the page which is dedicated to them, itself containing links to other pages and so on.

A "

damning

"

plan

The Office of the US Trade Representative has also urged Canberra to abandon its "

damning

"

plan

, saying there could be "

long-term negative consequences

" for consumers and businesses.

The Australian initiative is being followed closely around the world, at a time when news media are suffering in a digital economy where advertising revenue is increasingly being captured by large tech companies.

She received support from the Australian media.

The media crisis has been compounded by the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

In Australia, dozens of newspapers have been closed and hundreds of journalists fired.