Cloudflare introduced Content material Indicators Coverage, a brand new addition to robots.txt that lets you specific your preferences for a way your content material can be utilized after it has been accessed. This goals to dam Google from utilizing your content material in AI Overviews, however Google must comply, which they haven’t but, for this to work.
Again in July, Cloudflare’s CEO stated they are going to get Google to conform to blocking simply AI Overviews, and perhaps that is their try?
Cloudflare says this may work to dam your content material from exhibiting in AI Overviews, or being utilized in AI Overviews, but additionally permit your content material to indicate in regular Google Search. The Data coated:
Cloudflare, which says it powers 20% of the world’s web visitors, on Wednesday introduced a brand new characteristic that it stated will allow web site homeowners to dam Google’s AI Overviews search product with out having to choose out of being included in Google search.
In an interview, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince stated that Cloudflare is making it simpler for web site publishers to replace their robots.txt file—basically directions that AI firms are anticipated to comply with—to incorporate language specifying for instance that Google can use their content material for search however not AI Overviews. That stated, robots.txt directions are usually not legally binding, as Cloudflare executives themselves have stated.
Prince stated that Cloudflare had given folks at Google a heads up concerning the product, however that Google hasn’t stated they’d abide by the brand new directions. Google or one other AI firm disregarding robots.txt may give publishers trigger to sue, Prince stated.
Here’s a screenshot from the Cloudflare submit:
Zones on a free plan can flip off the Content material Indicators Coverage within the Safety Settings part of the Cloudflare dashboard, in addition to by way of the Overview part.
Glenn Gabe summed this up properly:
Fast replace about Cloudflare and AI Overview blocking -> I consider that is by way of Cloudflare’s new Content material Indicators Coverage the place website homeowners can add directives to their robots.txt recordsdata about AI coaching versus simply Search. Once more, Google has not stated they’d comply with this… So… pic.twitter.com/YqfGmLPRTB
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) September 24, 2025
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