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A new video reveals a senior federal politician has abandoned Google following its threat to pull its search engine from Australia.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher, who last week met with the tech giant’s global boss, has been spotted searching the internet using Bing.
In footage spruiking Safer Internet Day on Tuesday, Mr Fletcher searches for the eSafety Commission using the Microsoft search engine.
The snub comes as the federal government stands strong on a push to force tech giants Google and Facebook to pay for news content – a proposal they deem unviable.
Mr Fletcher told Sky News on Sunday that he recently started using Bing and already used search engine DuckDuckGo on his mobile phone.
“But I do emphasise the Australian government would like to see Google and Facebook remaining in Australia,” he said.
“We would like to see them complying with the Australian laws, laws passed by the lawfully elected parliament of Australia.”
Facebook recently told a Senate committee that it would prevent Australian users from posting and accessing news content if the measures went ahead.
Microsoft has committed to boost investment in its system, Bing, in an attempt to replace Google if it leaves Australian shores.
New research released by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on Tuesday showed that teenagers were using an average of four social media services and spending at least two hours a day online.
But she warned a large percentage of teens still ignored potentially harmful online experiences or believed nothing would change if they sought help.
“This year we are encouraging people to ‘start the chat’ about online safety,” Ms Inman Grant said.
To mark Safer Internet Day, the eSafety Commission on Tuesday will release two new resources to help young children learn about online safety.
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