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UK proposes forcing Google to let publishers opt out of AI summaries

By The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Wednesday that Google should give news sites and content creators the choice to opt out of having their online content scraped to feed its AI overviews.

It’s part of a set of proposals from the Competition and Markets Authority aimed at loosening the U.S. tech giant’s stranglehold on the U.K’s online search market.

The watchdog last year labeled Google a “strategic” player in online search advertising, using new digital powers to promote more competition by forcing changes to the company’s business practices.

The CMA’s report noted that news publishers have suffered a drop in traffic since Google rolled out its AI Overviews – summaries that appear at the top of some search queries – because fewer users are clicking through to the original articles.

The watchdog said Google should give publishers “meaningful choice” over how their content is used in AI-generated responses; be more transparent about the process; and properly cite content used in AI results.

Google said it was looking forward to engaging with the watchdog and would continue discussions with website owners.

“We’re now exploring updates to our controls to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features,” Ron Eden, Google’s principal for product management, said in a blog post.

“Our goal is to protect the helpfulness of Search for people who want information quickly, while also giving websites the right tools to manage their content.

Will Hayter, the CMA’s executive director for digital markets, said in a blog post that the measures would support the “long-term sustainability” of publishers and “help people verify sources in AI-generated results and build trust in what they see.”

The CMA also recommended that Google rank its search results fairly, and not give priority to websites that have advertising or other business deals with Google. And it proposed making it easier for people to switch their default search engine by requiring choice screens on Android devices and the Chrome browser.

The watchdog will make its final decision after gathering feedback in a consultation that ends on Feb. 25.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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