The Rest of the World Not So Thrilled at the Empire of the Google

Looks like the rest of the world isn’t so thrilled at Google’s “ever-tightening grip on internet traffic” and “its unbridled use of online content.” Especially when it comes to the proposed Google-Yahoo ad deal. The Times Bits blog is reporting that the World Association of Newspapers posted a note on its website calling the partnership “anti-competitive and urging regulators to block the deal.”

Perhaps never in the history of newspaper publishing has a single, commercial entity threatened to exert this much control over the destiny of the press…It is particularly worrisome that this consolidation of power is occurring at the same time that Google increasingly takes positions that are adverse to newspapers and other content creators.

Snap! But wait! Not everyone is hating on the Google. The U.S.-based Newspaper Association of America, a member of the World Association, which represents more than 2000 newspapers in the United States and Canada, subsequently released its own valentine to Google clarifying that it did not share these views and “has taken no position on the proposed advertising partnership between Google and Yahoo.” According to Bits the NAA may have some influence in the matter since the Google-Yahoo deal only covers North America.

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