This practice is not only distressing for the original authors but also poses a potential misinformation threat. While it's not new for SEO spammers to buy and revive defunct websites, doing so under the guise of a once-legitimate news site is particularly concerning. Google claims its new spam policies will address such practices.
Key takeaways:
- Journalist Spencer Ackerman discovered that his decade-old articles, originally published on the now-defunct news site the Washington Independent, had been reattributed to fake authors on a revived version of the site.
- The new version of the Washington Independent is also publishing new content under fake bylines, much of which appears to be AI-generated and includes clickbait articles and paraphrased copies of other outlets' reporting.
- Other journalists have reported similar instances of defunct websites being revived and filled with AI-generated content, posing a potential threat of misinformation.
- Google has claimed that its new spam policies will crack down on such practices, but the issue highlights the challenges facing the media industry in the digital age.