Overview
- Several major publishers and platforms, including Reddit, USA Today, Reuters, Politico, The Economist and People Inc., were reported Wednesday to be actively weighing measures such as blocking Google’s crawlers or tightening bot rules.
- Search-referral data show steep declines that are driving the move, with third-party figures reporting drops as large as nearly 50% for some outlets between June 2025 and June 2026.
- Web operators can use specific controls—blocking Google-Extended to limit AI training, adding nosnippet to reduce inclusion in AI Overviews, or using noindex to remove pages from search—but each choice risks losing conventional search visibility and traffic.
- Regulators have stepped in: the UK Competition and Markets Authority ordered opt-outs so publishers can avoid AI features without losing traditional placement, and Google says it will pilot those controls in Britain while arguing its AI still sends billions of clicks to sites.
- The debate has real stakes for revenue and deals: Reddit’s 2024 licensing pact that reportedly paid Google about $60 million a year is under renegotiation and market reaction to the reports pushed Reddit shares lower.