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Take Control of Your Google Search Results by Choosing the Sources You Want to See

Google adds a new feature to let you refine your search results to include the sites you like and trust.

Facing criticism for degraded search results and angst from users wanting to avoid AI Overviews, Google has announced a new search feature that lets you choose the sites you want to see in your news and search results.

Google said in a recent blog post that it’s launching Preferred Sources in the US and India this month. The new feature can be accessed through a plus icon to the right of Top Stories panels or a direct link to your preferences.

«Once you select your sources, they will appear more frequently in Top Stories or in a dedicated ‘From your sources’ section on the search results page. You’ll still see content from other sites, and can manage your selections at any time,» Google said.

The new feature is the result of a Labs experiment. Google says that in that version, half of its users added four or more sources. Google offered advice to website publishers and owners on how to direct readers to add their site.

How you can select your own preferred sources on Google Search

It’s simple to add preferred sources for Google Search. You can click the star icon to the right of any «Top Stories» panel in Google Search, which will spawn a pop-up window to add sources, or you can visit the settings page directly at https://www.google.com/preference/source.

Once you see the search box that says «Search by name or website,» type the name or URL of a site you definitely want to include in your search results — such as CNET or its sibling tech sites ZDNET, Mashable, PCMag and Lifehacker — then select the checkbox next to each site you want to add.

To view and manage your preferred sources, click on the «Your sources» link at the bottom of the preferences page. To remove any of your preferred sources, simply uncheck the checkbox for any sites you want to delete.

You can use any web browser on desktop or mobile to take advantage of Google’s new preferred sources feature, but you will need to be signed in to your Google account. 

What it means for news sites and their readers

News organizations and other information sites have shifted before to cater to Google’s search algorithm as well as those on other platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Publishers executed a pivot to video in the 2010s, and in recent years produced more bite-sized content suitable for sharing on platforms such as TikTok.

The addition of news preferences might be a double-edged sword, giving you more control over search results while further shutting out some legitimate news publishers as new echo chambers get built. 

«It’s almost like a tone-deaf move by Google in my point of view, because news organizations are already concerned about losing traffic to the AI overviews,» said Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise at Poynter, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media literacy program. «Now they have to figure out how to get people to pick their source in the source preferences.»

For bigger news publishers who have a loyal audience, Preferred Sources might prove that audience engagement efforts can pay off. But Mahadevan says it will depend on how willing people are to effectively subscribe to and curate their own news sources list. 

«I question how many people will actually use it,» he said.

People may see their own beliefs reinforced, not challenged

Publishers who haven’t cultivated engaged, loyal followers and don’t have the means to steer their audiences might suffer, Mahadevan says.

«The thing that does concern me about this is you know for the organizations that may have not done that, it’s just going to further erode the amount of Google traffic they get,» Mahadevan said. «If way more people want news from Fox News and are choosing Fox News among their source preferences, then that’s going to be crowding out other news sites that might need that traffic.»

As an experiment, Mahadevan says he set Breitbart News Network as a source using the Google Search feature, saying he chose the far-right news source because it has been known to share misinformation.

«I started Googling about tariffs, and the first thing I see is Breitbart,» he said. «So this concerns me also from a media literacy standpoint because I think it might further push people into echo chambers,» where they only see beliefs that correspond with those they already hold.

«It just seems like a way for people to narrow down their news diet even more via Google Search,» Mahadevan said.

If SEO, the way that websites have for decades drawn Google traffic by generating good, relevant content, is effectively out the window, what does that mean for the future of publishing and media? 

«Is there a strong enough media literacy base for people to make sure they’re choosing good, legitimate news outlets and a varied variety of news sources?» Mahadevan asked. «I don’t know if we’re quite there yet.»

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Technologies

Apple Won’t Have to Provide an Encryption Backdoor in the UK, Says US Official

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says the US and UK worked out a deal.

The US director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, announced on social media late Monday evening that Apple will not be required to provide an encryption backdoor in the UK, easing concerns about weakened privacy and security safeguards.

Gabbard said the the private data of Americans will be protected after an agreement was apparently worked out with the UK, following prolonged behind-the-scenes maneuvering. 

«Over the past few months, I’ve been working closely with our partners in the UK, alongside @POTUS and @VP, to ensure Americans’ private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected,» Gabbard said on X. «As a result, the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a ‘back door’ that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties.»

Apple did not immediately respond to an email for comment. The company has regularly pushed back hard against government requests that it create a backdoor for law enforcement.

What was the UK asking for?

Originally, the UK demanded that Apple provide a way for the government to access data from iCloud accounts not only for British citizens, but also for citizens of other countries, to assist in criminal investigations.

In response, Apple in February pulled an iCloud feature, Advanced Data Protection, in the UK. At the time, Apple said it was «gravely disappointed» by the actions of the UK’s Home Office, the country’s interior ministry, which is responsible for areas including public safety, cybersecurity and immigration. It’s unclear if the announcement will pave the way for Apple to bring back Advanced Data Protection in the region.

More recent reports suggested the UK was backtracking on its original demands and was looking for a way out. 

A representative for the Department of National Intelligence responded to an email seeking more details about the agreement with a link to Gabbard’s X post and a letter Gabbard sent to US Sen. Ron Wyden and US Rep. Andy Biggs in February saying that her office would examine the issue.

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Technologies

Apple Is Making All Four iPhone 17 Models in India in a Big Pivot From China, Report Says

It’s one way to minimize Trump tariffs as the September launch date for the iPhone 17 draws near.

Apple is manufacturing all four of its iPhone 17 models in India ahead of next month’s launch, according to Bloomberg. That marks a first for the company, as it tries to mitigate the effects of President Trump’s tariffs on products produced in China.

The production is taking place at five Indian factories. Tata Group is managing half of the manufacturing in new plants in the southern state Tamil Nadu, and Taiwan’s Foxconn will be manufacturing iPhones near the Bangalore airport.

India has become the No. 1 maker of smartphones shipped to the US, and its iPhone production there jumped 63% (to $7.5 billion in exports) in the second quarter of 2025 as Apple has maneuvered through the new landscape of US tariffs.

Earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple would be moving nearly all of its iPhone assembly to India to avoid tariff penalties. However, China will still be the top producer (by far) of iPhones to non-US markets.

Apple will launch its four new iPhone 17 models sometime in September (check out all the rumored iPhone 17 features) in what may be the last iteration of the company’s typical late-summer product launches. Apple reportedly will begin two-phase rollouts beginning in 2026.

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Technologies

PlayStation Plus Subscribers Can Play Marvel’s Spider-Man and More Now

Those PS Plus subscribers can also play a game trial of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can, and PlayStation Plus subscribers can now become the famous web-slinger in Marvel’s Spider-Man.

PlayStation Plus is Sony’s version of Xbox Game Pass, and it offers subscribers a large and constantly expanding library of games. There are three PlayStation Plus tiers — Essential ($10 a month), Extra ($15 a month) and Premium ($18 a month) — and each gives subscribers access to games. However, only Extra and Premium tier subscribers can access the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. 

Here are all the games PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can access now. You can also check out the games all PS Plus subscribers can play in August, including Lies of P.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 

When you start this game, Spider-Man is already a pretty experienced crime-fighter. That means you aren’t working your way up from fighting street-level crooks to organized criminals. No, you’re swinging right into fighting heavy-hitters like Wilson Fisk and Shocker. As you’re fighting these major players in the criminal underworld, you’ll also have to navigate Peter Parker’s personal relationships and career while still trying to help the millions of people in New York City.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (game trial)*

Hideo Kojima is back with another trippy and visually stunning game. Death Stranding 2 is set a few months after the first game in the series. The United Cities of America are connected, but humanity still faces the threat of extinction. It’s up to you and your team to travel a world filled with strange enemies to answer haunting questions, like whether people are better off disconnected from one another.

Note that this is a time-limited trial. PS Plus Premium subscribers can only play five hours of gameplay. If you decide to buy the game, your progress and trophies will carry over.

Resident Evil 2*

Experience the classic 1998 PlayStation game that helped spark a media franchise. This isn’t the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remaster, but the story remains mostly the same. A few months after the Mansion Incident, Raccoon City has been overrun by zombies. You’ll play as rookie cop Leon Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield as they explore the city’s remains and try to escape with their lives. But plan accordingly. With limited supplies scattered around the map, you might not be able to shoot your way out of every situation.

Other games added to PS Plus

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can play all of the games listed above, as well as the ones listed here, now.

*Premium subscribers only.

For more on PlayStation Plus, here’s what to know about the service and a rundown of PS Plus Extra and Premium games added in July. You can also check out the latest and upcoming games on Xbox Game Pass and Apple Arcade.

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