Google bans fake bylines and AI headshots in new content guidelines

Google has updated its search guidelines to explicitly prohibit the use of fabricated bylines and artificial intelligence generated headshots. The search engine stated that it will no longer prioritise websites that engage in these deceptive practices, marking a significant shift in its approach to content quality assessment. This move follows recent investigations into media operations that have utilised such methods to drive traffic.

The new guidance was added to Google’s existing rules for creating helpful and reliable content. Previously, the company encouraged publishers to add accurate authorship information, such as bylines, to align with its standards for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. The updated text now explicitly warns against using deceptive authorship information. It defines the fabrication of creator profiles, including the use of made up names, false credentials or AI generated images to make content appear written by human experts, as a form of deception. Google asserts that any such deception renders a page untrustworthy to both users and its automated quality systems, serving as a signal of low quality.

This regulatory update comes in the wake of reporting on various content mills that have been caught using fake journalists to attract readers. One such operation, Brown Brothers Media, was investigated for acquiring struggling news sites and converting them into AI powered content mills. The company reportedly invented fake journalists and subject matter experts, outfitting them with fraudulent credentials to churn out thousands of search engine optimised articles. Data reviewed indicated that the operation sourced much of its audience from Google. Following the publication of the investigation, Google moved to suppress Brown Brothers sites from its platforms, including Search and Google News. Shortly thereafter, Brown Brothers Media abruptly halted publication.

The issue of fabricated bylines is not isolated to a single entity. Similar schemes have been uncovered in Canada, where a publication’s nonexistent reporters malfunctioned and produced error messages, and another was caught plagiarising work under the name of a fabricated Indigenous journalist. Further cases have been identified in Florida and Rhode Island. While Google’s crackdown targets these specific deceptive tactics, the broader media ecosystem continues to face challenges. The search giant has embraced AI at a deep level, with some critics arguing that its AI summaries crowd out links to original reporting, thereby impacting independent journalism.