Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

MailOnline sues Google for allegedly hiding links to its articles

MailOnline sues Google for allegedly hiding links to its articles

Publisher cites users being directed to smaller outlets when searching for Meghan and Piers Morgan
MailOnline is suing Google after alleging the search engine hides links to its articles on topics such as “Meghan Markle” and “Piers Morgan”, setting up a legal battle between one of the world’s biggest news websites and the tech giant.

Google is accused by MailOnline of having too much control over the online advertising market and of systematically downgrading links to its stories in favour of other sites, citing coverage of the royal family.

British users searching for Piers Morgan’s comments on the Duchess of Sussex last month were substantially more likely to see articles about him produced by smaller regional outlets such as the Manchester Evening News and Newcastle Chronicle, MailOnline claimed.

This is despite MailOnline often writing multiple stories a day about the former Good Morning Britain host, who said he “didn’t believe a word” Meghan said in her interview with Oprah Winfrey, and employing him as a columnist.

In the lawsuit, filed in New York and described as “worthless” by Google, MailOnline alleges it is being punished by Google News’s algorithm after attempting to reduce its reliance on Google’s separate tools for selling online advertising.

“This lawsuit is to hold Google to account for their continued anti-competitive behaviour including manipulation of ad auctions and news search results, bid rigging, algorithm bias and exploiting its market power to harm their advertising rivals,” said a spokesperson.

“Despite increased criticism by regulators and governments around the world, Google’s ongoing behaviour clearly shows they are not prepared to change their conduct.” Google said MailOnline’s claims are “meritless”.

MailOnline has become one of the biggest news websites in the world – with a massive US audience – aided by its mix of celebrity pictures, rapid news aggregation and culture war stories.

News websites have an uncomfortable love-and-hate attitude to Google. The search engine can send millions of readers to an outlet if a story is shown prominently alongside popular search terms, allowing the publisher to reach new audiences and sell more advertising. But Google’s dominance of online display advertising means the tech company has become hugely profitable at a time when traditional news publishers have lost ad revenue.

MailOnline’s lawsuit also shows the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) to news websites. For many years, outlets have commissioned articles featuring certain popular names or keywords in the hope of catching the attention of Google News’ algorithm.

One major issue for all outlets is the lack of transparency on how Google decides which stories to show. Some publishers believe Google favours results from news outlets that produce more original reporting. It increasingly prioritises results from websites which have limited amounts of advertising and are fast-loading, a move which has hit some ad-heavy websites.

Google said it would be fighting the lawsuit. “The Daily Mail’s claims are completely inaccurate. The use of our ad tech tools has no bearing on how a publisher’s website ranks in Google search. More generally, we compete in a crowded and competitive ad tech space where publishers have and exercise multiple options,” a spokesperson said. “The Daily Mail itself authorises dozens of ad tech companies to sell and manage their ad space, including Amazon, Verizon and more. We will defend ourselves against these meritless claims.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
×