A Google logo is displayed on a smartphone with programming code on the background. (Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Google, not government, is the biggest threat to press freedom in South Africa, according to Media24 CEO Ishmet Davidson.
Appearing before of the Competition Commission on Tuesday, Davidson argued that the company abused its dominant position in the market to leave South African news publishers with “crumbs”.
The commission has been hearing from news publishers as part of its Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry, initiated to establish whether there are market features in digital news distribution platforms which “impede, distort or restrict competition”, and which undermine the South African news sector.
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