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Paris court suspends Google test limiting users’ news access, RSF calls for permanent ban

By Brett Tabke on February 20, 2025

The Paris Commercial Court has ruled against Google’s controversial experiment that restricted access to news sources for a small percentage of its users in France. The decision, handed down on February 20, came after a legal challenge from the French syndicate of magazine press publishers (SEPM), with support from Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The court’s ruling suspends the experiment indefinitely, citing concerns about the right to access press content.

Google’s Experiment: A Test with High Stakes

Google had planned to conduct an experiment removing press content from Google Search, Google News, and Google Discover for a subset of users in France. The company framed this as a test to assess the relevance of press content in search results. However, SEPM and RSF argued that the move violated Google’s prior commitments to France’s competition authority, particularly its pledge not to alter user experience during ongoing negotiations over intellectual property rights.

SEPM challenged the legality of the test, leading to a hearing on January 30. RSF emphasized that restricting access to news content could harm the right to reliable information for hundreds of thousands of users.

The Court’s Decision and Implications

The court ruled in favor of SEPM, stating:

“The implementation of the test is likely to seriously infringe on citizens’ right of access to press content, a right protected both constitutionally and conventionally.”

As a result, the experiment is suspended until the Autorité de la Concurrence, France’s competition regulator, delivers a final opinion. RSF has urged the regulator to issue permanent sanctions against Google.

Press Advocates Welcome the Ruling

The decision has been celebrated by press advocates and publishers:

  • Thibaut Bruttin, RSF Director General:
    “The threat posed by the test was so blatant that the court made what was clearly the only possible decision. We will remain extremely vigilant to any further attempts to carry out this kind of experiment and call on the Autorité de la Concurrence to ban this scandalous test permanently.”

  • François Claverie, SEPM President:
    “We welcome this decision, which is a victory for press publishers and press freedom in our country.”

A Pattern of Pressure Tactics?

Google has a history of using experimental tests as leverage during negotiations over content moderation and compensation. The company employed similar tactics in response to Canada’s C-18 law, which requires tech platforms to compensate media outlets for their content. This latest experiment in France appears to follow a familiar pattern—limiting visibility of news content to exert pressure during regulatory discussions.

What’s Next?

With the test halted, all eyes are now on France’s Autorité de la Concurrence to determine Google’s next steps. If the regulator imposes further sanctions, it could set a precedent for how tech companies handle news access and content negotiations in other markets.

The ruling reinforces the argument that access to reliable journalism is not just a business consideration but a fundamental right. Google’s experiment may have been stopped for now, but the broader debate over how tech giants influence news distribution is far from over.

Published in Google