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Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

travellemming.com

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Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#31

Post by amaccuish »

SecretDreams wrote: post #20
fidotron wrote: post #5

> Google plans to use AI to consume and replace the open web. They've been boiling the frog here for a long time. The "open web" is a euphemism for the Google Chrome monoculture walled-garden-in-waiting. Google exert so much influence there that building on the web is in practice barely different than building on say iOS. You can do what you want if you don't want to make money, but if you do then you will have to pl…

> My hunch is Google never psychologically recovered from Facebook absolutely wiping out G+, and they have been on a mission to ensure nothing like that ever happens again. Same for Microsoft with phones. That's why Google and Microsoft are trying to use AI to crush us while Apple is like "I'm pretty content with how much money I make".

Ye, Apple just doesn't support PWAs fully because they're "pretty content with the money they may from the app store".

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#32

Post by basilgohar »

Each step and subsequent revelation makes a stronger and stronger case that companies like Alphabet (nee Google) wield too much power across their products and should be broken up to ensure competitiveness and user choice remain. Otherwise, we'll face a monopolistic monoculture that caters to the powers that be and cements existing power structures more firmly.

You'd think Google would see this, but instead they're doubling down instead of eking out a sustainable evolution of their technology.

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#33

Post by fidotron »

thedevilslawyer wrote: post #17
fidotron wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The article treats as axiom that organic traffic is a right. It's not. Agreed, but traffic has been the substitute for monetary rewards so far. If they aren't sending the traffic then someone is going to start to need to pay for surfacing and verifying information directly.

It's an open market that will step up to meet the need. IMO, we can't hold back innovation for web-1.0 based text articles + text search model.

That would be believable if copyright was enforced appropriately on existing AI training data.

The big problem with this is it means anything really interesting will no longer be published in the open.

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#34

Post by 6stringmerc »

thedevilslawyer wrote: post #3

The article treats as axiom that organic traffic is a right. It's not. Most people don't want to read an article on travel advice when AI gives us much better and specific advice, with references, when we want it.

Citation needed. Who are these “most people” and do they actually have money to spend?

AI frequently cites references based on human generated content. Often it does a terrible job of it in my experience. I searched for a very specific name and the Google AI returned a “profile” and the link to the person’s social media account was displayed the name that I’d searched for but the AI directed me to a completely different person WITH A DIFFERENT NAME as the link destination. Why the hell would I trust it with travel plans if it get such basic, easily validated challenges so very wrong?

So unless you have a citation for your claim, and even then one that meets some basic credentials of rigor, then you’re flat out wrong.

The purpose of a search engine is to direct organic traffic, not function as fucking bait.

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#35

Post by AndrewStephens »

thedevilslawyer wrote: post #3

The article treats as axiom that organic traffic is a right. It's not. Most people don't want to read an article on travel advice when AI gives us much better and specific advice, with references, when we want it.

I think the days of Google driving traffic to sites then splitting the advertising revenue (or missing out entirely) are largely over. From Google's point of view, they are just closing the loop.

It is a shame because the mutually beneficial relationship between Google and sites has driven a huge amount of the tech economy. Sometimes this has been bad (and advertising is a scourge for many reasons, I can't believe I am defending it) but in general the web would be a lot less useful if people couldn't make money of advertising.

I think long-term sites will stop relying on advertising and go with payments or memberships for information. This will hurt everyone but be disastrous for Google if they cannot spider up-to-date information. It will also hurt the free flow of information that we now enjoy.

What is really galling is that with all the impressive AI summaries, the search results themselves seem to be getting a lot worse[0]. Many times I have used Google and the AI summary is pretty good but the actual page the summary is from is buried well down in the search results. Is this something they are doing deliberately to make the AI summary seem more useful?

[0] An example I blogged about: https://sheep.horse/2025/4/yo_google%2C_thanks_for_the_ai_ov...

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#36

Post by palmfacehn »

krapp wrote: post #22
Aldipower wrote: post #9

I see it in a positive light. For me it means back to the roots. People will visit your website by typing in your URL directly into the address bar. Direct marketing and mouth-to-mouth will be a thing again.

No one ever discovered websites through "mouth to mouth" or direct marketing (whatever that's supposed to mean.. flyers? Junk mail?) Web portals and link aggregators and bookmarks and other means of discovery were a thing from the very beginning of the web, well before Google even came along.

People have been sharing URLs since the days of email and Usenet.

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#37

Post by masklinn »

FirmwareBurner wrote: post #11
fidotron wrote: post #5

> Google plans to use AI to consume and replace the open web. They've been boiling the frog here for a long time. The "open web" is a euphemism for the Google Chrome monoculture walled-garden-in-waiting. Google exert so much influence there that building on the web is in practice barely different than building on say iOS. You can do what you want if you don't want to make money, but if you do then you will have to pl…

>My hunch is Google never psychologically recovered from Facebook absolutely wiping out G+, and they have been on a mission to ensure nothing like that ever happens again. That's an orthogonal issue to me. IMHO, modern Google never really cared about social media platforms because it never really understood them. Otherwise it would have bought Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter, early on before…

> That's an orthogonal issue to me. IMHO, modern Google never really cared about social media platforms because it never really understood them.

Caring (or at least wanting in) and not understanding are perfectly compatible.

I know for a fact that a number of old googlers are still frustrated over Google Video got stomped, and Google having to buy Youtube in the end.

> Otherwise it would have bought Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter, early on before they became industry titans

That only works if:

1. they see it coming

2. the in-house competition effort does not remain politically unassailable

3. until the competitor is too big for google to realistically acquire it

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#38

Post by arp242 »

thedevilslawyer wrote: post #3

The article treats as axiom that organic traffic is a right. It's not. Most people don't want to read an article on travel advice when AI gives us much better and specific advice, with references, when we want it.

It is impossible for any intelligence, artificial or otherwise, to deduce travel advice based on any prior knowledge. You need to actually go to these places and see what it's like.

I don't know of any more clear and obvious example of "AI uses your content, robs you of your income, and gives nothing in return" than this.

Whether AI (currently) gives "better" answers or not is rather besides the point.

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#39

Post by gorjusborg »

I can't get past the sloppy and inflammatory use of English here.

This is not 'censorship'. It probably isn't banning, nor is it 'shadowbanning'. Google tunes its algorithms and lets the chips fall. Some win, some lose.

While I understand how Google's dominance in search can have outsized effects on Internet commerce, the writer has near-zero credibility with me based on their writing. Honest people making honest statements don't need to exaggerate to make the point.

Re: Google is using AI to censor independent websites like mine

#40

Post by Aldipower »

thedevilslawyer wrote: post #29
Aldipower wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And where the training data for your AI advice comes from?

Factual data mostly came from sources like wikipedia, news and social forums. I see these as continuing. Opinion data - from all other SEO sites. These were low signal mostly, and AI seems to have got the general gist of how to structure content for consumption. So rather information reaching our mind through a SEO writer, it's now being AI written, which is atleast more standardized, and can be grounded more easily,…

No SEO writer reaches my mind. You're leaving some things out. I am able to collect my information wisely. But if Google suppresses organic sites, they are not all SEO, then I just won't use Google anymore. My training data question is still valid. Social forums are also organic btw..
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