Google has agreed to a financial support package totaling over forty million dollars for South African news publishers, according to the nation's competition authority. The decision follows an investigation that found that the tech giant's practices, along with those of other platforms like TikTok and Facebook, disadvantaged local media by limiting their content distribution and monetization.
The funding package includes four million dollars for national publishers and broadcasters over five years, alongside annual allocations for artificial intelligence innovation and support for community and small media outlets. Google also committed to introducing new user tools that prioritize local news sources and to remove algorithmic biases that favored international outlets. TikTok agreed to provide new monetization tools for publishers.
The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, did not agree to a settlement. The commission has directed it to make all monetization programs available to local publishers and to provide training, a directive that remains open to appeal.
The funding package includes four million dollars for national publishers and broadcasters over five years, alongside annual allocations for artificial intelligence innovation and support for community and small media outlets. Google also committed to introducing new user tools that prioritize local news sources and to remove algorithmic biases that favored international outlets. TikTok agreed to provide new monetization tools for publishers.
The social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, did not agree to a settlement. The commission has directed it to make all monetization programs available to local publishers and to provide training, a directive that remains open to appeal.
