Google's monopoly check, not mate

Google Top Stories 101, China's AI tags, a small step for transparency and a big step for AI accountability - all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 15:15, 04 September 2025

Corbidge comments on... a brighter future?
The Google monopoly ruling was so watered down due to the rise of AI in search and elsewhere, that it must be seen as a bellwether on where things are going. The shake up of search, and rising competition between new and ageing digital giants, could tip power back towards content creators. Our resident light in the dark Rob shares his thoughts on the value of content to AI firms, and Cloudflare's bold ideas to get publishers paid.
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How to own your spot in Google Top Stories
Google's Top Stories tends to favour a few and leave little room for others. The remedy? Ask your readers to change their settings. Encourage your readers to add you as a "preferred source", which will place your articles more often and push the usual giants aside. For now it is a US-only feature, but expect it to roll out worldwide soon. Our neighbourhood SEO expert Barry Adams shares more insight.
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Google trial ruling No.1 
US District Judge Amit Mehta has concluded Google's first big monopoly trail with a remedy ruling that, as far as publishers are concerned, is more "Meh" than "Ta". You can read the whole thing here [PDF download]. Apple and other device manufacturers will be happy and the ruling will probably keep Mozilla in existence. However, stay sharp as Google's ad empire faces its own trial which is regarded as being of much greater impact on the firm. Everyone brace for round two.
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Mind tricks to break bots
According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, with the right mix of psychological tricks such as flattery, peer pressure, or getting them to commit, bots such as OpenAI's GPT-4o can be persuaded to break their own rules - be that making them throw insults or hand out dangerous recipes. So much for the idea that AI safety can be left to those who make the bots in the first place.
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Publishers demand Gemini review
UK publishers, led by DMG Media and Guardian Media Group, have called on the nation's competition regulator the CMA to bring Google's AI tool Gemini into an ongoing market dominance investigation. They claim Gemini is just Google Search in disguise, giving the tech giant another unfair edge in controlling news and content.. They ask for tougher rules, clearer content credit, fair pay for AI-generated stories, and some transparency. Google insists that, err... Gemini isn't among the AI heavyweights, so should be let off.
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The power of caching
Caching used to be a backstage trick, but now it's the whole stage. It came from the simple need to make websites faster and evolved into a critical pillar of the modern web. Jono Alderson explains how important good caching is and how it doesn't just save milliseconds but also defines how your site is understood. A helpful guide on how to achieve a smooth, scalable, and machine-friendly site in a world where bots browse, agents decide, and models remember.
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Google's secret recipe for long-form wins
Google's In-Depth Article system started as a quietly filed patent, one of those big, brash alphanumerical beasts that seem as if they should be the patent for a nuclear weapon (US20150379140A1, in case you want to know). Underneath, it's a blueprint on how Google separates serious long-form content from the daily noise. Harry Clarkson-Bennet has the scoop on the two-part scoring system, why it's important on where your content "lives", and why authorship matters.
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Dotdash vs Google: Ad monopoly showdown
Google's ad empire is again under fire, this time from US media giant Dotdash Meredith which is suing Google for allegedly rigging the digital ad game. Its lawsuit claims Google controls over 90% of the publisher ad server market and up to 70% of the ad exchange space, using shady tactics such as "Project Bernanke" to quietly boost its own profits while draining publishers of revenue. Think secret auctions, rigged bids, and stripped pricing power. According to Dotdash, it lost half its premium ad revenue thanks to Google's "Unified Pricing Rules". They want damages and a level playing field.
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Rage against the machine
AI music "artists" are cranking out songs with zero instruments and only text prompts, and no musical background whatsoever. It's thrilling, and terrifying, and also deeply polarising. As expected, traditional musicians call it creativity theft, but AI fans call it the future. Love it or hate it, the line between art and algorithm is officially blurry, and the lawsuits are flying.
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AJC: an end to a print legend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is calling it quits on its print edition after 157 years, betting on digital as readers move online. It's a bold move for sure, but the real test will be delivering a seamless digital experience which is backed by top-tier journalism. Poynter knows more.
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AI content must wear a name tag
China's social media giants such as WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo are now tagging AI-generated content like digital hall monitors, thanks to a new law for AI posts. Users must now flag their AI creations if they want to avoid platform wrath and possible penalties. It's a measure designed to tame the AI content flood and curb misinformation, with the rest of the world taking notes.
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Copilot cuts time, but productivity falls short
A UK government trial gave Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses to 1,000 staff, hoping for a productivity boost. The results: time saved on writing tasks, but not so much boosting of productivity. As some might expect, users wrestled with sketchy outputs and AI hallucinations, especially when it comes to image generation and scheduling. Copilot did score some points with neurodiverse and non-native speakers, so it's some sort of a win.
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