New media law raises questions about ‘pay for clicks’

CANBERRA: Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, the British computer scientist known as the inventor of the World Wide Web, says Australian plans to make digital giants pay for journalism could set a precedent that renders the Internet as we know it unworkable. "Specifically, I am concerned that that code risks breaching a fundamental principle of the web by requiring payment for linking between certain content online," Berners-Lee told a Senate committee scrutinizing a bill that would create the New Media Bargaining Code.

It's a question dividing proponents and critics of the proposed Australian law: does it effectively make Google and Facebook "pay for clicks" and might it be the beginning of the end of free access? The battle is being watched closely in the European Union, where officials and lawmakers are draf ting sweeping new digital regulations.