Google must let UK publishers opt out of AI search and add clearer attribution, CMA rules

Google ordered to put clearer links in AI search and let UK publishers opt out

UK regulators today ordered Google to put clearer attributions and links to publishers' content in its AI-generated search features. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also said Google must give publishers a way to opt out of AI features in search. "In a world first, publishers will now have effective tools to prevent their content being used to power AI features in search, such as AI Overviews," the CMA said today. "This will put publishers, like news organizations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google. To boost consumer trust, Google is also now required to make sure that publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI‑generated search results." The CMA ruled that Google may not penalize publishers for opting out of AI, meaning that Google can't downrank opted-out publishers in general search results. The CMA said Google will have nine months to comply with all requirements but that the agency "expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline. Google will also be required to submit and publish compliance reports, supported by key data and metrics, explaining changes it has made and how it has complied." Google's AI Overviews tend to give confident-sounding responses to search queries, but the links to sources in the AI Overviews may or may not support those confident responses. Clearer attribution and links could make it easier for searchers to determine the accuracy of AI Overview summaries. The CMA applied the rules to Google after determining that it has "strategic market status" in general search services, and has ongoing investigations into Apple and Microsoft. Google today said it will comply with the CMA decision. Google opposed "excessive attribution" Google said last month that it would add more links to websites in AI Overviews, but it opposed the attribution requirement in its formal response to the CMA proceeding in February. Google said it is "already motivated to strike the right balance between attribution and usability." "Excessive attribution of lots of sources may worsen the user experience and lead to fewer clicks; not more," Google told the CMA. "But too little attribution and publishers may decide to opt out, depriving Google of their content for grounding Search genAI features." Google also objected to the CMA's opt-out rule. But now that the proceeding is over, Google today announced new controls for website owners in response to the UK directive. "Today, we're beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features," Google said. "With this new toggle in Search Console, website owners can decide if they want their site to appear in and help ground responses in our generative AI Search features (like AI Overviews, AI Mode or AI Overviews in Discover). Sites that opt out will not receive traffic or impressions from our generative AI features. This control will not be used as a ranking signal for search results outside of these generative AI Search features." Google also said it is giving website owners more data through the Search Console, including "impressions metrics and information about which pages appear in AI responses and in what countries." It said the Search Console changes are now being provided "to a subset of website owners in the UK, allowing for thorough testing before rolling them out to website owners globally." Google says it will comply While Google said the Search Console changes will eventually roll out globally, it didn't say in the blog post whether the UK-mandated changes to attributions and links will be available everywhere. Google also didn't answer that question when contacted by Ars today. Google told Ars that it will fully comply with the CMA's new conduct requirements, and said its recent announcements of additional links to web content in AI search results apply globally. Google's blog post didn't say what changes it will make to comply with the requirement for clearer attribution and links to publishers in AI results, but said the firm is "continuing to experiment with a range of new link designs in our AI experiences to make them more useful." A notice published by the CMA said Google must "take reasonable steps to ensure that Search Content in search generative AI features is attributed clearly, accurately, and that end users are provided with a clear means to access that Search Content." The CMA's decision noted that some "stakeholders said there are instances where attribution in search generative AI features has been inaccurate and that the clarity of such attribution could be improved." The CMA required Google to publish explanatory information detailing how it meets the new attribution requirement and how it ensures and measures "the factuality of search generative AI features." "As set out in consultation, we consider that transparency over attribution is important so that publishers can trust that, where Google uses Search Content in search generative AI features, it is sufficiently and accurately attributed," the CMA said. "This, in turn, helps publishers make properly informed and meaningful decisions about whether and how they interact with Google in respect of general search services. Transparency measures also bring benefits to end users as they help them understand how Google has attributed responses and therefore help them to trust the responses they receive." Opt-out dispute As for opt-outs, the CMA notice said "Google shall provide publishers with effective controls to withhold their Search Content from being used in generative AI services and features." The opt-outs must cover the training and grounding of Google's broader generative AI services and its AI search features, the CMA said. For Google's AI search features, the CMA said opt-outs must be available to publishers at both the directory and page levels. Google's February response to the CMA proposal argued that the company's "current opt-outs are sufficient and effective." The firm told the CMA that it would "be disproportionate to require Google to offer page-level opt-outs. Constantly crawling and re-crawling content that is constantly being opted in and out will increase costs for Google, and thereafter increase crawl costs for publishers. It may lead to user confusion and a fragmented and inconsistent user experience." Today's CMA's decision rejected this argument, saying that regulators "have not seen evidence suggesting that enabling publishers to exercise page-level controls would require increased crawling activity." It said Google eventually conceded to the CMA that it would be possible to introduce page-level controls if given enough time. The CMA said the nine-month deadline should provide "sufficient time to carry out additional technical work to design and implement these aspects of the control effectively." Google must provide an implementation plan within one month, the decision said. The News Media Association, a trade group in the UK, said that "the legally enforceable Conduct Requirements for Google Search published today are a significant step towards leveling the playing field and building a fair, transparent digital economy where premium content is properly respected and fairly compensated." The group called on the UK to implement "robust enforcement."

Google must let publishers opt out of AI Search features, rules UK

Online publishers are getting more control over whether their websites appear in Google's AI Search features, thanks to a UK regulatory ruling. The new conduct rule imposed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) requires Google to let website owners keep their content out of features like AI Overviews, and prevent it from being used for the "fine-tuning" of Google's AI models. "In a world first, publishers will now have effective tools to prevent their content being used to power AI features in search, such as AI Overviews," the CMA announced. "This will put publishers, like news organizations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google." Google will also have to ensure that publisher content is "properly attributed, using clear links," in AI‑generated search results. According to the CMA, these requirements will "secure a fairer deal for publishers and consumers and improve Google's search services in the UK." Google has already started to roll features out to a "subset of website owners in the UK" in response to the ruling, and plans to make them available globally after testing. The first feature is a new toggle in the Search Console that allows publishers to manage how their content is used in AI Search tools, including AI Overviews, AI Mode, or AI Overviews in Discover. Websites that opt out entirely won't receive traffic or impressions from generative AI features, and Google says this control won't be used as a ranking signal for search results outside of AI Search features. New Search Console insights are also rolling out for website owners that contain metrics and information about which webpages are appearing in AI responses, and which countries they're appearing in. "The legally enforceable Conduct Requirements for Google Search published today are a significant step towards leveling the playing field and building a fair, transparent digital economy where premium content is properly respected and fairly compensated," News Media Association CEO Theo Bamber said in a statement responding to the ruling. "Their success now relies on efficient implementation, robust enforcement and the ability to adapt and strengthen the rules if they are not working properly, in a fast-moving technological environment." Google had reportedly previously rejected the idea of giving publishers more control over how website data would be used in AI Search features, because it's "evolving into a space for monetization."

UK Forces Google to Improve AI Summary Sourcing, Give Publishers an Opt-Out

UK officials will require Google to better highlight the sources from which it pulls answers for AI Overviews, and will allow publishers to opt out of having their content included in AI summaries. Google will have nine months to make these changes, but the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says it "expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline." Google will be "required to make sure that publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI‑generated search results," according to the CMA, which argues that the move will put publishers "in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google." At I/O last month, Google teased the biggest upgrade to its search box in 25 years. The CMA says its rules will apply there too, but it's "actively monitoring how Google is implementing these changes -- including assessing the implications for businesses," and could "bring forward work on further measures to ensure a fair exchange of value between Google and publishers." In a Tuesday blog post, Google said, "features like AI Overviews and AI Mode are designed to help people find and visit great websites, and to help publishers and websites strengthen their audiences." That includes "prominent links to websites" that serve as "a jumping-off point." The primary complaint from publishers about Google's AI Overviews, however, is that they reduce clicks to their websites -- the very websites from which Google's AI pulls its information. An August survey from Digital Content Next (DCN) found that median year-over-year referral traffic from Google Search dropped 10% in May and June 2025, though some of the worst-hit publishers reported click-through declines of up to 25%. Google says it's now testing "a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features." It will give website owners more information through the Search Console, including impression data on which pages appear in AI search summaries and for which countries. Those who opt out will not be penalized in traditional search rankings, it says. The test is rolling out to a subset of UK website owners, but will eventually be available globally. Not a fan of AI summaries? We have a few tips for removing them.

UK regulator enforces new competition requirements on Google search

Britain's competition regulator said on Wednesday it has imposed new conduct requirements on Google's search services, including allowing publishers to opt out of training the U.S. tech giant's AI models, as the watchdog ramps up its oversight. The Competition and Markets Authority has flagged concerns about Google's dominance in search services. Google accounts for more than 90% of UK queries, and the regulator had been consulting on the matter to ensure effective competition. The CMA on Wednesday said the requirements imposed on Google under the digital markets competition regime gave "publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content," while securing a fair deal. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours. The regulator said that the company will now also be required to make sure content from publishers, including news organisations, is properly attributed in AI-generated search results, using clear links. Google's search services have fallen into regulatory scrutiny across the world, including in the United States and European Union, and the company in March said it was developing new search controls to address British competition concerns. "Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future," CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said in a statement.

UK publishers allowed to opt out of Google AI search results

Online publishers can choose not to appear in the AI Overviews of Google search results n the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced. The competition regulator said this would "put publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google". Many websites have complained that they have seen a large drop in traffic since Google started placing AI summaries at the top of its search results page. The CMA also said Google must properly attribute publishers' content which appears in its AI search results, with clear links to their sites. "It is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used," said CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell. She said this was a "world-first requirement," adding it would result in "fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers". Google controls more than 90% of the online search market in the UK according to the CMA, and for almost 30 years websites and publishers have relied heavily on its search results to drive users to their businesses. However, many have said they've seen a drop in traffic since Google moved links to other sites down the search results page, with AI overviews displayed at the top instead. Some people have also switched from using traditional search engines to other AI chatbots, which produce answers to questions based on information they have scraped from existing websites. If a publisher opts out of appearing in Google's AI search results, the CMA says this gives them leverage to negotiate their own deals to be paid for the content the AI uses in its results. Google has nine months to bring all the changes in, but the CMA says it wants to see "important parts" of the requirements implemented earlier. It has extra powers over Google and other large tech companies, as they are designated as having an influential position in the digital market. The CMA says it will be monitoring developments in Google search and has to power to act further if need be. In May, Google announced more AI integration into its search box, which the CMA says it is monitoring - "including assessing the implications for businesses". Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.

UK forces Google to offer AI search opt-out for publishers

The UK's CMA has ordered Google to let publishers opt out of AI Overviews without losing their search ranking, a world-first requirement. Google began testing the controls immediately and plans to roll them out globally. For months, publishers have faced a binary choice with Google: let AI Overviews summarise your content at the top of the search page, sending less traffic to your site, or disappear from Google entirely. As of Wednesday, that choice no longer applies in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority has ordered Google to give publishers the ability to opt out of appearing in AI-generated search results without affecting their ranking in conventional search. The regulator called it a "world-first requirement." Google began testing the controls with a subset of UK media sites on the same day and said it plans to roll them out globally. What changes Website owners will be able to use a toggle in Google Search Console to decide whether their content appears in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Sites that opt out will no longer appear in AI-generated summaries and will not receive traffic or impressions from those features. But they will continue to be indexed and ranked normally in standard search results and Google's Discover feed. Critically, Google is prohibited from penalising sites that opt out. A publisher's decision to withdraw from AI search cannot influence its ranking in conventional results, according to Computing. Google must also ensure that content appearing in AI results is properly attributed with clear links to source sites. The company will additionally have to allow publishers to opt out of having their content used for the fine-tuning of AI models, a separate but related concern that has fuelled antitrust suits and industry complaints. The traffic problem The regulation arrives after a sustained decline in publisher traffic linked to AI Overviews. Studies have documented a 58% reduction in click-through rates to the websites whose content AI summaries are built on. Individual publishers have reported losses ranging from 49% at Chegg to as high as 89% for specific queries at DMG Media. Google controls more than 90% of the UK's online search market, according to the CMA. For nearly 30 years, publishers have relied on its search results to drive users to their sites. AI Overviews disrupted that model by answering queries directly, using publishers' content, without sending the reader through to the source. The opt-out gives publishers leverage to negotiate payment for the content AI uses. If a publisher withdraws from AI results, Google loses the material its summaries are built on. That creates a commercial incentive for Google to strike licensing deals rather than lose access to high-quality sources. Enforcement and timeline Google has nine months to implement all the changes, but the CMA said it wants "important parts" of the requirements in place earlier. Given that Google began testing controls on Wednesday, the practical rollout is likely to be faster than the formal deadline. The CMA can act under its new digital markets powers, which allow it to designate firms with strategic market status and impose tailored conduct requirements without having to litigate each abuse case separately. It said it would monitor further AI integration into Google search, including features announced at Google I/O in May. What it means for the rest of the world The most significant detail may be the global rollout. Google said the controls being tested in the UK will extend to other markets, meaning a decision by a British regulator could reset the terms on which AI summarises the open web everywhere. It also arrives as Google pushes deeper into always-on AI search agents that operate continuously on users' behalf. CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said the requirement would result in "fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers." Theo Bamber, chief executive of the News Media Association, called it a "significant step" but warned that "only strong and consistent political support" would lead to "a system of fair and reasonable payment for publisher content." The opt-out is a tool, not a solution. Whether publishers actually use it, and whether it translates into licensing revenue rather than simply less visibility, will determine whether this world-first requirement becomes a model or a footnote.

UK regulator imposes new rules on Google search, including an AI-training opt-out

The CMA's first conduct requirements under Google's 'strategic market status' let publishers refuse to train its AI models. Britain's competition regulator has stopped consulting and started ordering. On Wednesday the Competition and Markets Authority imposed new conduct requirements on Google's search services, the first concrete obligations to follow from its decision to designate the company as holding strategic market status. Among them is a provision with sharp implications for the AI era: publishers will be able to opt out of having their content train Google's AI models. Google's search results increasingly summarise the web rather than send users to it, and those summaries are built on content the company crawls for ranking. Publishers have argued they face a trap: refuse the crawl and vanish from search, allow it and feed the AI systems that reduce their traffic. The CMA's rule is meant to break that bind by separating the two, letting a site appear in search without consenting to AI training. The rest of the package is structural. The CMA's requirements mandate fair ranking, transparency, proper content attribution, and default choice screens on Android and Chrome so users can pick rival search services rather than accept Google's by default. Choice screens are familiar from a decade of EU antitrust enforcement; their inclusion here signals the CMA intends to use the practical levers that have moved the needle elsewhere. The legal architecture is what makes this different from a one-off case. Under the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers regime, the CMA can designate a firm with strategic market status in a digital activity and then impose tailored, ongoing conduct requirements, rather than litigating each abuse separately. The CMA confirmed Google's SMS designation in search in October 2025, opened a consultation on conduct requirements in January 2026, and has now moved to enforcement. It is a different model from the American one. Where US antitrust against Google runs through the courts, with remedies argued case by case over years, the UK regime is regulatory and forward-looking: a designated firm operates under a standing set of obligations a regulator can adjust. The trade-off is familiar. The regulatory approach is faster and more flexible; it also concentrates a great deal of discretion in the regulator, and Brussels has tended to write the rule before settling what enforcement actually looks like in practice. For Google, the requirements arrive as its search business is already under pressure from a direction antitrust was not designed for. AI assistants and chat interfaces are emerging as alternatives to the ten blue links, and the CMA's rules implicitly acknowledge that the competitive threat and the regulatory question now both run through AI. The opt-out provision in particular is less about classic search rivalry than about who controls the training data underneath the next interface. Google has consistently argued that its services benefit users and that heavy-handed rules risk degrading them, a line it will presumably repeat here. The company has room to challenge specifics, and the detail of compliance, how the opt-out works technically, how choice screens are designed, tends to be where these regimes are won and lost. What is settled is the direction. The UK has built a standing regulatory relationship with Google's search business and has now used it for the first time. The immediate question is whether an AI-training opt-out can be made to work without pushing publishers out of search by other means. The CMA has written the rule. Enforcement is the part still being drafted.

UK regulator mandates that Google should let publishers opt out of AI search

* Publishers must now be allowed to opt out of AI Overviews and AI Mode * They should not be penalized by risking visibility loss in regular search * Google given nine months to implement changes, must submit reports Britain's competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has imposed new requirements on Google now that the company has been designated as having 'Strategic Market Status' (SMS) across UK search services. Under the new rules, Google will have to allow publishers to opt out of having their content used in its AI-powered search features, like full AI Mode and the AI Overviews that appear at the top of regular search results - but without being removed from regular search results. This marks an important change, because previously, publishers who opted out also had to risk losing visibility in regular search. Google faces new requirements under CMA rules Additionally, the company will be required to properly attribute publishers with links back to the original source, which the CMA hopes will help consumers identify where information came from and to prove its authenticity. Looking forward, the Authority has also demanded that Google submit two compliance reports within the first year to prove that it's adhering to the new requirements, with the company given nine months to fully implement all the changes. "With features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used," Chief Exec Sarah Cardell explained. Google isn't the only company facing investigations from the CMA, with Microsoft and Apple also subject to SMS probes. "We'll also continue to use the unique flexibility of the UK regime to monitor and address future concerns as they arise and we will be announcing further action in relation to Google's search business in the coming weeks," Cardell added. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

What does the UK watchdog's new Google AI results rule mean for publishers?

Giving news websites the power to block their content from being used in AI summaries will have global ramifications The UK's competition watchdog has ordered Google to change how it uses publishers' content in its AI-powered search results, in a move that will have global ramifications. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is using powers that allow it to set bespoke rules for major tech firms that it deems to have "strategic market status". Google, the world's largest search engine, is one of those companies.

Google forced to allow news sites to opt out of AI scraping in 'world first,' UK watchdog says | Fortune

Google must allow news sites to opt out of having their online content scraped to feed AI overviews and other artificial intelligence services and features for British users, regulators said Wednesday. The Competition and Markets Authority said it was ordering Google to give online publishers the option, in what it called a "world first." The watchdog is seeking to loosen the U.S. tech giant's stranglehold on the U.K's online search market by using new digital powers to force changes to the company's business practices. Under the decision, Google will have to give publishers "effective tools" to prevent their content from being used to power the company's generative artificial intelligence services and its AI search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google will also have to properly cite publisher content in AI-generated search resulted by using clear links, and let publishers opt out of having their content used to fine-tune AI models. The watchdog said the decision will give publishers a stronger hand when negotiating content deals with Google. Publishers are defined as anyone who puts content on the web that's available to people in Britain. The CMA's ruling was expected, because it had released draft proposals at the start of the year after using its new digital powers to label Google a " strategic" player in online search advertising. It previously found that news publishers had 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 its requirements will also apply to big changes that Google unveiled in May, which further embed AI in the company's search services. Google is "engaging with regulators like the UK's Competition and Markets Authority to ensure website owners have the right tools as user preferences evolve," the company's general manager of search ecosystem, Mrinalini Loew, said in a blog post. "Today, we're beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features." CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said the measures will result in "fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers" and will help tens of millions of British users "better understand and trust the information presented to them."

Google must give UK publishers choice to block AI search summaries, says competition watchdog - business live

Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. The UK's competition watchdog has announced that web publishers and news organisations will now be able to opt out of AI overviews of Google search results. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said its new rules will put "publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google". The intervention comes after complaints by media organisations that they have experienced a drop in click-through traffic to their websites - and therefore their revenue - since Google started posting AI summaries at the top of search results. CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said in a statement: With features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used. At the same time, these measures will help tens of millions of UK search users better understand and trust the information presented to them. It's also important that any action we take in this space can move with the times. Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future. We'll also continue to use the unique flexibility of the UK regime to monitor and address future concerns as they arise and we will be announcing further action in relation to Google's search business in the coming weeks. Under the new rules, Google will also now have to make sure that publisher content is "properly attributed", using clear links in AI search results. It will also have to allow publishers to opt out of allowing their content to be used for the "fine-tuning of AI models" which will provide "publishers with confidence that they will have control over the full range of AI use-cases of their content", the CMA said.

UK orders Google to provide AI Overviews opt-out option for publishers

UK orders Google to provide AI Overviews opt-out option for publishers The UK's antitrust regulator has ordered Google LLC to give publishers more control over how their content appears in search results. The Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA, announced the move today. The order focuses on Google Search's artificial intelligence features, particularly the AI Overviews panel that often appears above search results. The panel displays an AI-generated response to the user's question. The CMA has instructed Google to let publishers prevent AI Overviews from using their content. Website operators can block the feature without removing their content from search results. Moreover, it won't affect publisher search rankings. The opt-out setting covers AI Overviews panels in not only Google Search but also Discover, a customized content feed available on mobile devices. The toggle also applies to AI Mode. The latter feature, which rolled out last year, generates more detailed responses to Google Search queries than AI Overviews. The opt-out setting is not the only product change that the company will implement. CMA has asked Google to cite publisher content using "properly attributed, using clear links" in AI-generated search results. Additionally, the Alphabet Inc. unit will have to give website operators a way to prevent their data from being used in AI fine-tuning projects. Fine-tuning is a process through which developers hone the capabilities of an AI model that has already been trained. The CMA has given Google nine months to make the changes. Officials expect the company to implement several key modifications much sooner. After Google completes the initial rollout, it will have to submit periodic compliance reports to verify that it adheres to the CMA's guidance. The company disclosed in a blog post that it's currently testing the AI opt-out setting with a limited number of UK website operators. It plans to roll out the feature globally over time. Additionally, Google intends to launch a dashboard that will enable publishers to track which of their webpages appear in AI search results and where the content is viewed. The company plans to add support for more metrics down the line. Last year, the European Union launched an antitrust probe into Google over AI Overviews and AI Model. Officials expressed concern that the search giant didn't provide a way for publishers to prevent the two features from using their content. The opt-out setting that Google previewed today may help it address the regulatory scrutiny. Notably, the EU probe also encompasses YouTube. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, is scrutinizing Google's use of creator videos in AI training projects. The company's changes to its search engine may prompt other AI providers to roll out more publisher controls. Two of the industry's biggest names, OpenAI Group PBC and Anthropic PBC, already provide opt-out options for publishers. The companies enable website operators to block the scrapers they use to collect data for their chatbots.

UK regulator orders Google to give publishers AI search opt-out

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has imposed binding rules on Google's search services in a move it calls a world first. The UK's competition regulator has formally required Google to let publishers opt out of having their content used to power AI features in search, including its AI Overviews product. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) imposed the conduct requirement today (3 June) under the UK's digital markets competition regime, making it the first binding ruling of its kind to be issued against a major tech platform in the UK. Following consultation feedback, publishers will also be able to opt out of their content being used for the fine-tuning of Google's AI models, giving them control over the full range of AI use cases of their content. Google will also be required to attribute publisher content clearly, using links, in AI-generated search results. The CMA said the requirement would put publishers, including news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google. The ruling follows Google's designation in October 2025 as having strategic market status in UK search, a formal finding of substantial and entrenched market power that gave the CMA the power to impose targeted rules on the company. The CMA said it was also responding to Google's announcement in May that it planned significant changes to its search platform to further embed AI technologies, which the regulator said could fundamentally change how search results are presented to UK users. Today's requirement will apply to those changes. "Today, we have introduced a world-first requirement on Google's search services in the UK, enabling fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers," said Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA. "With features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used." A spokesperson for Google pointed siliconrepublic.com to its official blog post reaction to the announcement, saying it would begin testing a new toggle in Search Console allowing website owners to decide whether their content appears in AI Overviews, AI Mode and related features. Sites that opt out will not receive traffic or impressions from those features, Google said, and the setting will not affect rankings in standard search results. The company also said it would roll out new performance insights in Search Console showing publishers which of their pages appear in AI responses and in which countries. Google said it would begin the rollout to a subset of website owners in the UK first, "allowing for thorough testing before rolling them out to website owners globally". The blog post, written by Mrinalini Loew, general manager of Google Search Ecosystem, did not directly address the CMA's ruling but framed the changes as part of Google's own initiative to give website owners more control as user behaviour shifts toward AI-powered search. Google said AI Overviews now has over 2.5bn monthly active users and AI Mode has surpassed one billion. Google has nine months to implement all required changes under the CMA's conduct requirement, though the regulator said it expects the key publisher controls to be available well before that deadline. Google must submit compliance reports every six months in the first year, backed by data and metrics. Cardell confirmed that further action in relation to Google's search business would be announced in the coming weeks. The CMA said it has now launched four strategic market status investigations into major tech companies since the digital markets regime came into force last year, covering Google, Apple and Microsoft. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

Google search given nine months to implement UK 'conduct requirement'

New rules from the Competition and Markets Authority include measures allowing publishers to opt out of training Google's AI models. Google search is facing a series of targeted rules that a UK regulator says will secure a fairer deal for publishers and consumers, and improve its services at the same time. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was giving Google nine months to implement the so-called "conduct requirements" it was imposing. The headline measure will give news organisations and other online publishers the option of not appearing in the AI overviews of Google search results, which appear at the top of a search, following complaints over a sharp decline in website traffic. The competition watchdog announced its rules after handing Google "strategic market status" for its search services last year due to its "substantial and entrenched market power", as more than 90% of searches in the UK were taking place on its platform. Money latest: Could these be our next banknotes? The CMA said on Wednesday: "In a world first, publishers will now have effective tools to prevent their content being used to power AI features in search, such as AI Overviews. This will put publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google. "To boost consumer trust, Google is also now required to make sure that publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI‑generated search results. "Following consultation feedback, Google will now also have to allow publishers to opt-out of allowing their content to be used for the 'fine-tuning' of AI models. This provides publishers with confidence that they will have control over the full range of AI use-cases of their content." The CMA said its rules would ensure fair dealing and transparency and cover significant changes to Google's search platform to further embed AI technologies in its search functionality. It also threatened further measures, if needed, to ensure a fair exchange of value between Google and publishers. Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said: "Today, we have introduced a world‑first requirement on Google's search services in the UK, enabling fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers. "With features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used. At the same time, these measures will help tens of millions of UK search users better understand and trust the information presented to them. "It's also important that any action we take in this space can move with the times. Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future. "We'll also continue to use the unique flexibility of the UK regime to monitor and address future concerns as they arise and we will be announcing further action in relation to Google's search business in the coming weeks." Google said it was engaging with regulators widely to ensure website owners "have the right tools as user preferences evolve". Mrinalini Loew, general manager of Google's Search Ecosystem, said: "Today, we're beginning to test a new control that lets website owners manage how their links and content appear in generative AI Search features." She said website owners "can decide if they want their site to appear in and help ground responses in our generative AI Search features", while the group is also rolling out new insights for website owners about how their pages appear in AI search features, with details on page impressions and which pages appear in AI responses and where globally.

UK media groups given power to opt out of Google AI search summaries

Watchdog says 'publishers will now have effective tools to prevent content being used to power AI features in search' Publishers will be able to opt out of their content being used to train Google's AI models and power its search summaries, the UK competition watchdog has announced as it imposes new conduct requirements on search services. "Publishers will now have effective tools to prevent their content being used to power AI features in search, such as AI Overviews," the Competition and Markets Authority said. "This will put publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google. "To boost consumer trust, Google is also now required to make sure that publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI‑generated search results." The CMA said the requirement was imposed after its decision to designate Google with strategic market status in general search services. It first proposed the idea of an AI search summary opt-out in January. "The designation allows the CMA to introduce targeted rules, known as 'conduct requirements', for Google's search activities if proportionate for the purposes of ensuring fair dealing, open choices or trust and transparency. "Google will now also have to allow publishers to opt out of allowing their content to be used for the 'fine-tuning' of AI models. This provides publishers with confidence that they will have control over the full range of AI use-cases of their content." Sarah Cardell, the CMA chief executive, said: "Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future." Google's compliance would be actively monitored and "we will be announcing further action in relation to Google's search business in the coming weeks", Cardell added.

Google must let UK publishers opt out of AI search under new rules

Britain's competition watchdog has introduced new rules for Google's search. Publishers can now decide if their content powers Google's AI. This move aims to give creators more control and better deals. Google accounts for over 90% of UK searches. The changes respond to how users find information with AI. Google is testing controls for website owners. Britain has imposed new conduct requirements on Google's search services, including allowing publishers to stop their content being used to power the U.S. tech giant's AI features, as the watchdog ramps up its oversight. The country's Competition and Markets Authority has flagged concerns about Google's dominance in search, designating the company with the "strategic market status" that allows it to set targeted rules to increase ⁠trust and ⁠transparency. Google accounts for more than 90% of UK queries and the regulator said in January it wanted to give publishers more control over how their content was used. The CMA on Wednesday said the requirements imposed on Google under the digital markets competition regime gave "publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content," while securing a fair deal. News websites and other publishers have seen click-through rates ⁠drop sharply as a result of users relying on overviews generated with the help of AI. Google said it was providing "new resources, insights and control for website ⁠owners" to navigate the changes in how users find and understand information using generative AI. It said it was testing a new control that lets publishers manage how their links and content appear in generative AI search features. Sites that opt out would not receive traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode, it said in a blog post, but the controls would not affect traditional search results. It said it was also increasing the number of links in AI responses and it was starting to roll out new insights for publishers. The CMA said Google would be required to make sure content from publishers, including news organisations, ⁠was properly attributed in AI‑generated search results, using clear links. "Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future," CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said. Google faces increasing regulatory scrutiny across the world, including in the United States and European Union, and the company in March said it was developing new search controls to address British competition concerns.

UK regulator enforces new competition requirements on Google search

The Competition and Markets Authority ⁠has ⁠flagged concerns about Google's dominance in search services. Google accounts for more than 90% of UK queries, and the regulator had been consulting on the matter to ensure effective competition. Britain's competition regulator said on Wednesday it has imposed new conduct requirements on Google's search services, including allowing publishers to opt out of training the U.S. tech giant's AI models, as the watchdog ramps up its oversight. The Competition and Markets Authority ⁠has ⁠flagged concerns about Google's dominance in search services. Google accounts for more than 90% of UK queries, and the regulator had been consulting on the matter to ensure effective competition. The CMA on Wednesday said the requirements imposed on Google under the digital markets competition regime ⁠gave "publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content," while securing a fair ⁠deal. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours. The regulator said that the company will now also be required to make sure content from publishers, including news organisations, is properly attributed in AI‑generated search results, using clear links. Google's search services have fallen into regulatory scrutiny across the world, including in the United States and European Union, and the company in March said it ⁠was developing new search controls to address British competition concerns. "Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future," CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said in a statement.

UK Regulator Orders Google to Give Publishers Greater Control Over AI Search Content | PYMNTS.com

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the measures after formally designating Google as holding Strategic Market Status (SMS) in general search services. The designation grants the regulator authority to impose conduct requirements aimed at promoting fair competition, transparency and consumer choice. According to a statement from the CMA, the newly imposed requirement is designed to ensure publishers have greater control over how their content is used in Google's AI-driven search tools, including features such as AI Overviews. The regulator said the changes are intended to strengthen the negotiating position of publishers, including news organizations, when discussing content arrangements with Google. Under the new rules, publishers will be able to prevent their material from being used to power AI-generated search features. The CMA described the measure as a world-first intervention, giving content creators tools to limit the use of their work in AI search products while continuing to participate in traditional search indexing. Per a statement from the regulator, Google will also be required to provide clearer attribution when publisher content appears in AI-generated search responses. The CMA said the move is intended to improve transparency and help users better understand the sources of information presented in search results. Following feedback received during consultations, the regulator expanded the requirement to include controls over AI model development. Publishers will be allowed to opt out of having their content used for the fine-tuning of Google's AI systems, giving them broader oversight of how their material is deployed across AI applications, according to a statement. The measures come as Google accelerates the integration of artificial intelligence into its search products. In May, the company announced further changes aimed at embedding AI technologies more deeply into the search experience, developments that could significantly alter how information is displayed to users in the UK. The CMA said the newly introduced requirement will apply to those evolving search features and noted that it is closely monitoring Google's implementation of AI-powered search changes. The regulator added that it may consider additional interventions if further action is needed to maintain what it described as a fair exchange of value between Google and publishers. Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said: "Today, we have introduced a world-first requirement on Google's search services in the UK, enabling fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers." She added: "With features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organisations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used. At the same time, these measures will help tens of millions of UK search users better understand and trust the information presented to them." Cardell also highlighted the need for regulatory flexibility as search technologies continue to evolve. "It's also important that any action we take in this space can move with the times. Google has recently announced changes to its search business and the requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future. We'll also continue to use the unique flexibility of the UK regime to monitor and address future concerns as they arise and we will be announcing further action in relation to Google's search business in the coming weeks," she said. Google will have up to nine months to fully implement the required changes. However, the CMA said it expects some publisher controls to become available before the deadline expires. As part of the compliance process, Google will be required to submit public reports detailing the changes it has made and providing data demonstrating adherence to the new rules. According to the CMA, those reports will be published every six months during the first year, after which reporting requirements may be reviewed.

UK mandates Google to attribute publishers in AI search results

References: [ Press release ] & UK CMA's Google Publisher Conduct Requirement Document here: [ PDF | Archived ] "In a world first, publishers will now have effective tools to prevent their content being used to power AI features in search, such as AI Overviews," read the United Kingdom's (UK) press release on the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) new obligations put on the search giant Google. Attribute publishers and link out to sources: "To boost consumer trust, Google is also now required to make sure that publisher content is properly attributed, using clear links, in AI‑generated search results," read the press release. Take reasonable steps and be transparent about the attribution approach: "It requires Google to take reasonable steps to ensure that search content is attributed clearly and accurately in general search and that end users have a clear means to access that search content and to publish clear, comprehensible, and user-friendly information explaining its approach to attribution," reads Google's Publisher Conduct Requirement document published by CMA. & Competition authority is monitoring & will seek remedies if required: "CMA is actively monitoring how Google is implementing these [May 2026] changes - including assessing the implications for businesses. If needed, the CMA will bring forward work on further measures to ensure a fair exchange of value between Google and publishers." Google needs to implement these changes before nine months: "It will have nine months to implement all changes but the CMA expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline." Google is required to file compliance reports after six months: "Google will also be required to submit and publish compliance reports, supported by key data and metrics, explaining changes it has made and how it has complied. These are due every six months for the first year, after which the CMA will review the frequency of reporting." What publishers' concerns this directive aimed: According to the Publisher Conduct Requirement document published on June 3, 2026, the key concerns of publishers were: * insufficient choice over the use of their content, provided for general search (Search Content), in Google's generative AI; * lack of transparency about the use of their Search Content in Google's generative AI; * ineffective attribution of their Search Content when used in Google's generative AI. You can refer to the full document of Google's Publisher Conduct Requirement Document here: [ PDF | Archived ] Here is what Indian news publishers are thinking about AI-driven news discovery and AI data training: "Journalistic content is not like free-floating content on the internet. It is intellectual property...data has to be contracted. It cannot be surrendered," said Mohit Jain, Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. They are the publishers of Times of India and various other publications. He made these comments at one of the discussions at the India AI Impact Summit (2026) on February 16, 2026, involving various publications like India Today, Dainik Bhaskar, The Hindu, and Amar Ujala. You can read the publishers' nine-pointer list of things that AI companies need to do and a five-point execution plan of those nine-pointers here. Agentic and bot internet traffic is now more than human-led traffic: "Welp, that happened faster than I predicted. Thought it would be end of 2027, then early 2027, but agentic traffic growing so fast that bots have now passed human traffic online for the first time in the Internet's history," said Matthew Prince, Cloudflare's CEO. The existential crisis of online publishers: "If AI agents become the main way people interact with information, the browser (or the proprietary app) stops being the primary interface, the AI app does....The web basically becomes raw material for AI. Monetization then moves from the web to AI apps. Eventually, as the utility of AI improves, the open web will become invisible to humans," reads an excerpt from Nikhil Pahwa's Reasoned newsletter. Read the full newsletter here. The publisher risks locking users to AI platforms by design: "Destination sites will die. AI tools will be able to replicate quality in a manner that is faster and cheaper, leading to potential alternatives for publishers and increased competition. AI tools like Perplexity will provide the same content and leave little reason for people to exit destinations. These tools will become better and faster at curation with time," said the person who created WWW (World Wide Web), Tim Berners-Lee's interview with Nikhil Pahwa. Read the full article here. Some questions to ponder upon:

UK regulator requires Google to give publishers AI opt-out By Investing.com

Investing.com -- The Competition and Markets Authority imposed a conduct requirement on Google's search services on Wednesday, giving publishers the ability to prevent their content from being used in AI-powered search features. The requirement follows the CMA's designation of Google with strategic market status in general search services under the UK's digital markets competition regime. Publishers can now opt out of having their content used for AI features such as AI Overviews and for fine-tuning AI models. Google must ensure that publisher content receives proper attribution with clear links in AI-generated search results. The measures apply to changes Google announced in May to further embed AI technologies in its search platform. Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said the requirement enables fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers. She added that content publishers, including news organizations, need appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used. Google has nine months to implement all changes, though the CMA expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers before that deadline. The company must submit and publish compliance reports every six months for the first year, explaining changes made and how it has complied. The CMA will monitor how Google implements these changes and assess the implications for businesses. The regulator said it will announce further action regarding Google's search business in the coming weeks if needed.

U.K. Regulator to Let Publishers Keep Content Out of Google Search's AI Tool -- Update

By Adria Calatayud and Edith Hancock U.K. antitrust regulators said they would allow publishers to opt out of feeding their content to power artificial-intelligence features in Google's online searches. The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday that the move aims to give publishers control over how their content is used by AI and put them in a stronger position to negotiate with Google. The tech giant has developed its own AI platform, Gemini, and rolled out AI features in its traditional search engine. Regulators have grown increasingly concerned with how Google powers its AI tools, which essentially aggregate information on the internet to answer users' queries in addition to Google Search's links to other websites. The European Commission started in December an antitrust investigation into whether Google imposes unfair terms on publishers or is hurting competition online by giving itself privileged access to third-party content for its AI features. It is also the next step in the U.K. watchdog's bid to enforce the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer bill, which seeks to level the playing field for businesses online. Under the law, tech companies like Google are labeled as having strategic status due to their control over dominant platforms like search engines. Once designated, the CMA can impose so-called conduct requirements for them to follow. Mrinalini Loew, general manager of Google's Search Ecosystem, said in a blog post Wednesday that the company is listening to publishers and engaging with the CMA. It said it is starting to test a new tool that lets website owners manage how their content appears in AI search features, saying that sites that do choose to opt out of appearing in AI search results will not receive traffic from them, and how sites use the tool won't factor into how their content is ranked in reach outside of its AI services. "We are beginning to roll these features out to a subset of website owners in the UK, allowing for thorough testing before rolling them out to website owners globally," Loew said. The CMA said it is monitoring the changes Google implemented and their implications for businesses. The CMA deems Google's search service to have strategic market status, which allows the regulator to introduce targeted requirements on how it operates. "With features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organizations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used," CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said. News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, has a commercial agreement to supply content on Google platforms. Write to Adria Calatayud at [email protected] and to Edith Hancock at [email protected]

UK watchdog introduces new rules for Google's AI search results

(Alliance News) - Alphabet Inc's Google will face tighter controls on its use of artificial intelligence going forwards, the UK Competition & Markets Authority said on Wednesday. The watchdog is implementing new conduct requirements under its digital markets regime. Online publishers will be able to opt out of their content being used for Google search's AI function. "The requirement will secure a fairer deal for publishers and consumers and improve Google's search services in the UK," the CMA said. "This will put publishers, like news organisations, in a stronger position to negotiate content deals with Google," it added. Google's AI offering, known as Gemini, scrapes content from different websites to generate summaries in response to online search prompts. The CMA's new rules will require Google to ensure that content used in AI search results is properly attributed, and will also allow publishers to opt out of their content being used to fine-tune AI models. Google will have nine months to implement the changes, though the CMA said it "expects important parts of the controls to become available to publishers well before that deadline". Google must also publish compliance reports every six months for the first year, with reporting frequency to be reviewed thereafter. This follows the regulator's decision to designate Google with "strategic market status" in recognition of its dominant position among search engine operators. The designation is what enables the CMA to enforce new rules which it deems "proportionate for the purposes of ensuring fair dealing, open choices or trust and transparency". "In May, Google announced significant changes to its search platform to further embed AI technologies, which could fundamentally change how search results are presented to users in the UK. This conduct requirement will apply to those changes," the regulator noted. "The CMA is actively monitoring how Google is implementing these changes - including assessing the implications for businesses. If needed, the CMA will bring forward work on further measures to ensure a fair exchange of value between Google and publishers." CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell added: "The requirements we've introduced today are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future. We'll also continue to use the unique flexibility of the UK regime to monitor and address future concerns as they arise and we will be announcing further action in relation to Google's search business in the coming weeks." The CMA has launched four strategic market investigations including one into Microsoft Corp's business software ecosystem. Alongside Google, it is investigating Apple Inc. Alphabet Class A shares rose 0.1% to USD362.15 during pre-market trading on Wednesday in New York. By Holly Munks, Alliance News reporter

U.K. Regulator to Let Publishers Keep Content Out of Google Search's AI Tool

U.K. antitrust regulators said they would allow publishers to opt out of feeding their content to power artificial-intelligence features in Google's online searches. The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday that the move aims to give publishers control over how their content is used by AI and put them in a stronger position to negotiate with Google. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The tech giant has developed its own AI platform, Gemini, and recently rolled out AI features in its traditional search engine. The CMA said it is monitoring the changes Google implemented and their implications for businesses. The CMA deems Google's search service to have strategic market status, which allows the regulator to introduce targeted requirements on how it operates. "With features like AI Overviews rapidly reshaping online search, it is crucial that content publishers, including news organizations, have appropriate bargaining power over how their content is used," CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said.