Google’s “Preferred Sources” feature, which Google frames as a way to bring more quality journalism into search, is actually a free pass for more garbage in search. This manual setting almost no one will use shifts responsibility away from Google and towards users, allowing the company to keep sidelining the open web in favor of its own AI interfaces. The feature essentially gives Google a user-choice argument while maintaining its control over what appears at the top of search results.
– **Shifts Responsibility**: Users are given a choice that no one will opt-in for, thus preserving Google’s dominance.
– **Quality vs. Quantity**: Instead of ensuring higher quality content, this feature prioritizes Google’s preferred sources, which may include lower-quality or less diverse content.
– **Open Web Overlooked**: The feature overlooks the importance of maintaining a healthy and inclusive open web ecosystem, favoring instead Google’s proprietary AI interfaces.
Originally published at the-decoder.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
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