The world’s most popular online search engine, Google, today announced new changes for news content providers to limit the amount of news they provide free of charge.

The company introduced “First Click Free”, a new algorithm that can optionally limit each user to only 5 clicks per day for content from premium providers. On the 6th click, you will be taken to a subscription registration page.

The move comes following increased pressure from publishers (particularly from Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman and CEO of News Corp, see our previous coverage) who claim Google mainly benefits by indexing and using online news content, and subsequently making it free of charge for everyone. Murdoch even proposed entirely blocking Google from indexing it’s content.

Opponents argue the Internet should remain as opened as possible, and the new restrictions being imposed by publishers are simply the result of a failing business model, that is, generating revenue simply by selling online advertisements.