Google Search starts rolling out age verification notifications to users on August 15, 2025, requiring adult confirmation before access, following earlier YouTube implementation.
by Luis Rijo
ChatGPT ads reach logged-out users, IAB Tech Lab forms a programmatic governance council, SECURE Data Act targets state privacy laws, and Google resets its spam tools.
New log file analysis of 7 billion OpenAI bot events reveals a 3.5x surge in OAI-SearchBot activity after GPT-5, while ChatGPT user-driven events dropped 28%.
Google has brought its Gemini-powered Trends Explore page to mobile web, giving journalists and marketers real-time AI-assisted search trend research anywhere.
Vevo's 2026 upfront strategy triples Artist Franchise sales, expands Vevo Evolve audience tools, and opens music video inventory via YouTube Instant Reserve.
Paligo: 49% of harmful AI incidents involve software, not robots, in 1,406 cases - chatbots, recommendation engines and deepfakes dominate the incident record.
Google Ad Manager launched focused banner ads on March 9, 2026, a beta format that blurs article text mid-scroll until readers tap a button to resume reading.
Tests and antitrust filings reveal Google AI Mode draws from FastSearch - a cached, lighter index separate from the live web powering traditional Search results
Google expanded Ads Advisor with three agentic safety features: real-time policy reviews, 24/7 security monitoring, and instant certifications via Gemini.