Google's adtech empire in EU crosshairs, Meta's dodgy ad figures, Japan draws the line, and The Guardian's soft sell tactics

Saving stories one photo at a time, bots go bargain hunting, Reddit's helping hand and choosing the truth - all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 15:08, 06 November 2025

Corbidge comments on... AI labelling
The EU Commission has started a seven-month sprint in order to draft a voluntary code for labelling AI-generated content. The end goal? To make it harder for things such as deepfakes and synthetic content to pass as human-made. You can read the full code here. Our de-faker in chief Rob has a look.
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Google eyed for breakup
Brussels is asking Google to break up, and not like teenagers do. The EU believes the best remedy for solving the Google ad monopoly problem is to dismantle the company's ad business entirely, starting with asking the company how it would do that, lest the EU steps in the does it itself. Such a sledgehammer move is rare in the EU, but is indicative of the will to loosen Google's grip on the advertising market - particularly as US courts consider a similar move. "If you cannot go for structural remedies now, when the US is on the same page, then you’re unlikely to ever do it," said one observer.
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Meta's money from scams revealed
Reuters has seen Meta documents which hint at the sheer scale of the money it makes from scam ads. And we wonder why it seems so slow in clamping down on fraudulent-looking commercial content. Now we know.
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Getty wins a battle not a war
In a court battle closely watched from all sides, Stability AI walked away mostly unscathed from Getty's UK courtroom challenge alleging mass theft of IP. The photo giant called foul over 12 million scraped images, but scored a relatively low-stakes win over trademark infringement rather than a sweeping victory across the wider question of IP hijacking.
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Hands off our anime
Japan is out of patience with AI anime remixes after its Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) demanded OpenAI's Sora 2 ceases using its members' content, with legal remedies threatened. OpenAI is working under the assumption of opt-outs, where CODA says opt-ins should be the norm, like most people would assume is the case. Hollywood similarly went Super Saiyan a few weeks ago and prompted an OpenAI U-turn in just a few days, so let's see if OpenAI pays as much attention.
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Selling less, caring more
The Guardian is going all in on brains, not clicks, as its US affiliate arm, The Filter, skips SEO tricks and goes straight for the things its audience actually cares about. A small team, led by Nick Mokey, is working overtime to ensure their recommendations are on target for what their audience wants.
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ChatGPT leaks into Google
ChatGPT prompts are appearing via Google (again), this time in site-owner Search Console data. Err, yup.
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Sweeney gets another Epic win
Perhaps the only individual to take on Google and win them is the CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney. His win against Google in 2024 was what led to third-party app stores and non-Google payment methods being accessible on Android devices. The latest development is a Google/Epic joint motion in which third-party app stores will be allowed on Android worldwide, not just in the US. Google is, of course, still being slippy about some aspects of compliance.
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Photos over pixels: NPPA pushes back
Is photojournalism under threat from AI? With AI offering an alternative illustrative route and, more importantly, newsroom budget cuts, the NPPA steps in to remind everyone that a picture really is worth a thousand words, and a lot of trust.
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AI goes rogue, gets benched
One reason publishers keep humans between AI content and audiences is their understanding of the laws of defamation and libel (and many others). Google pulled its Gemma GenAI-model from their AI Studio after US Senator Marsha Blackburn accused it of spouting wild and false claims about her. The search giant marked this as a hallucination and claimed it wasn't meant for everyday users - not sure if that's a defence in a trial, should it come to that.
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Fighting the algorithm
With big tech and AI taking whatever they please, not everyone is sitting and waiting for permission. Branko Brkic, alongside Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, is building Project Kontinuum, an operation which aims to rebuild trust globally, sprinkled with a little bit of anti-propaganda. The plan starts with "Choose Truth", a worldwide campaign for journalism, while it ends with "The News Social", a network without algorithm made by journalists for journalists, not clicks.
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When AI goes shopping
Amazon is not really vibing with AI shopping sprees. The master of retail has slapped Perplexity AI with a lawsuit, saying that their bot sneaked into accounts of customers and pretended to be human while shopping. Perplexity labels it as innovation, while this entire ordeal sparks a whole new conversation around AI agents posing as people.
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From memes to headlines: Reddit's new move
Reddit wants news publishers to be more like a cocktail party, and less like a press conference. With a little help of their Pro Tools, news outlets can post, track, and AI-optimise their way into the subreddits which are right for them, but let's not forget that Reddit is getting a piece of the cake from this as well. The Front Page of the Internet will reap booming referral traffic and the title of AI's favourite training ground, while Facebook slowly fades into the void.
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