EU's buy local initiative, China's battle against AI misinformation, and Alden's bold stand against the AI masters

NYT subscription bundles, fake URLs, and struggles with telling time - all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 15:05, 20 March 2025

Corbidge comments on... the fact-checking frenzy
The media has always balanced fact, opinion, and dispute since the olden days, and even though news travel much faster now and there is much more of it, the value and the use of information stayed more or less the same. Today in order to battle disinformation we have a plethora of methods, and some consider crowd-sourced fact checks to be one as well. Our resident content sage asks: can disinformation actually serve a noble purpose in today's media landscape?
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EU takes aim at Alphabet for DMA breaches
The EU Commission has sent preliminary findings to Alphabet, alleging non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act, accusing Google Search of favouring their own services and Google Play of restricting app developers from directing customers to cheaper alternatives and charging excessive fees. This move of challenging Alphabet of potential breaches of the DMA marks a significant step in (finally) tightening regulations on tech giants as well as ensuring fair competition, and if the findings are confirmed, it could change the future of online competition and the power of tech behemoths. Until the EU Commission makes a final decision, Alphabet can defend itself.
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EU tech industry: Buy local 
A coalition of over 80 European tech companies has urged EU lawmakers to lessen reliance on foreign digital infrastructure and instead prioritise homegrown tech. A "EuroStack" strategy (published prior to the recent trade and tariffs spat) would boost European digital autonomy they say, via public procurement policies favouring bloc-built technologies in cloud computing, AI, and hardware. Such a move could reshape both the European tech landscape and global competition - the question would be whether it creates a broad range of new opportunities or ends up simply replacing one monopoly with a 'G-EU-gle' closer to home.
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China goes hard on AI labels
China has moved to bring compulsory labelling of AI generated content to law - although enforceability will be tricky. From September 1st 2025 all AI-generated content will require a visible label for consumers, and metadata labelling, to reduce the effect of misleading content. The potentially pie-in-the-sky bit? It requires platforms and distributors to verify that the metadata is there, that it is correct, and "that users have declared the content as AI-generated or synthesized." It echoes some EU rules which are heading in that direction over a longer period, at least in terms of metadata watermarking if not yet the requirement to mark it to the consumer. Those EU rules however apply to the originator of the content, not the distributor.
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Transatlantic subscriptions pact
European publishers such as El País and Politiken have partnered with The New York Times to offer bundled subscriptions, boosting engagement and expanding NYT's international reach. The initiative seems to be a win-win for both parties, allowing NYT to attract more global subscribers while the European publishers can use it to add value for their subscribers.
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Ad targeting is broken, AI could be the fix
Sick of ads which bear no resemblance to what you might be interested in? If they miss the mark for you, it's likely your audiences aren't being much better catered to. A recent study highlights significant flaws in socio-demographic and age targeting in digital advertising. The solution, according to Later's Scott Sutton, could be AI-driven targeting based on user behaviour and content which would offer a more effective approach than the old-school methods.
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Community notes: the conundrum
So, if billions of Meta users are being told Community Notes pass for fact checking, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the social giant's imminent switch away from in-house fact-checking? Will it ensure accountability and transparency? Do Meta's claims of less bias and more scale pass the fact check? Poynter asks some experts.
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Alden Newspapers vs OpenAI & Google
Dozens of US newspapers owned by Alden Global Capital published editorials slamming OpenAI and Google for trying to weaken AI copyright regulations under the ridiculous precedent that allowing AIs to pillage content without consequences is the only way for the US to beat the Chinese Communist Party. Their newest bold editorial piece is not a surprise since Alden have been residents of the "no deal" camp with other publishers who want to protect their content from the AI overlords.
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AI, fake URLs and SEO
We've spoken before about AI's struggles with facts and citations. Now AI has upped its game and started hallucinating URLs and articles, resulting in 404 errors and creating issues for website owners and SEO professionals. As with anything AI, publishers may need to adapt strategies to put out these fires when they occur, and Google Search expert John Mueller offers some guidance and advice.
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Syndication: Boosting revenue or ending your traffic?
Syndication of content can be a double-edged sword for publishers. On one hand, it boosts exposure and brings in much-needed revenue, but on the other, it risks cannibalising the publisher's own content traffic and SEO power. Harry Clarkson-Bennett shares his tips on how to achieve this delicate balance.
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Instagram turns to AI for arguments
Instagram is now testing AI-generated comments, letting users select pre-written responses to posts in order to boost engagement. And yes, these comments might do just that, but in turn they also might kill authenticity and create a sea of robotic responses. Empty engagement is no substitute for genuine interaction!
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AI can't tell the time
A study by researchers at Edinburgh University shows that AI models like GPT-4 and Google's Gemini struggle with tasks such as reading clocks and understanding calendars, often making mistakes over 20% of the time. That's nearly three-quarters!
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