Life Without Google: Australia Is Now Facing the Unthinkable

Giant threatens to shut search in Australia in government row
Ultimatum risks backfiring as rivals eye Google-free market

Watch: Stephen Scheeler, former Australia and New Zealand chief executive officer at Facebook Inc., discusses Australia’s planned law that would force tech companies, like Google Inc. and Facebook, to pay Australian publishers for news content. (Source: Bloomberg)

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By Angus Whitley and Georgie McKay

February 11, 2021 at 1:00 PM UTC

Updated on

February 12, 2021 at 6:20 AM UTC

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Imagine a world without Google, the search engine so pervasive it’s the starting point for more than five billion queries a day. That’s the reality facing Australia, where the tech giant is threatening to unplug its homepage in a standoff with the government.