World Wide Web inventor opposes Australia’s news payment plan

Berners-Lee said he supports the need for publishers to be 'properly rewarded' for their work but 'constraints on the use of hypertext links are not the correct way to achieve this goal'. — AFP

SYDNEY: World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee says Australia’s plan to force digital giants to pay media outlets for news content is “unworkable” and undermines a “fundamental principle” of the Internet.

Canberra is pursuing world-first laws that would require Google and Facebook to compensate Australian news organisations, or pay millions of dollars in fines.