UK regulator moves to curb Google's AI content scraping

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued binding conduct requirements forcing Google to let publishers decide whether their content is used in AI Overviews, AI Mode, and broader generative AI services, with the option to opt out at both catalog and page levels. Google must also clearly link publisher content in AI-generated results and submit compliance reports every six months. The CMA also adopted a non-retaliation clause stipulating that Google must not demote or penalize publishers in general search results for opting out of AI features. The requirements were made under the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, with Google found to have strategic market status in October 2025; this is the CMA's first such conduct requirement imposed on Google. The main obligations take effect on December 3, 2026, with Google having nine months to implement them, and compliance reports every six months; the article suggests it may be late 2027 before the effectiveness of the measures can be assessed.