CNET
![]() | |
Screenshot | |
Type of business | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Type of site | Technology, news |
Available in | English, French, Japanese |
Created by |
|
Editor |
|
Industry | Journalism |
Parent |
|
URL | cnet |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Optional |
Launched |
|
Current status | Online |
CNET (short for "Computer Network")[1] is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. CNET originally produced content for radio and television in addition to its website before applying new media distribution methods through its internet television network, CNET Video, and its podcast and blog networks.
Founded in 1992 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through that unit's acquisition of CNET Networks in 2008.[2][3][4][5] It has been owned by Red Ventures since October 30, 2020.[6] Following the acquisition, the website has been facing criticism for the decline in quality of its editorial content and its factual unreliability due to the use of generative AI in the creation of its articles,[7][8] as well as concerns over its journalistic integrity after it began increased publication of biased reviews and sponsored content to benefit its advertising partners.[9]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Logo_CNET_Networks.svg/100px-Logo_CNET_Networks.svg.png)
![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Cnet-logo-red-2020.svg/150px-Cnet-logo-red-2020.svg.png)
After leaving PepsiCo, Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie launched c/net, a 24-hour cable network about computers and technology in 1992.[1] With help from Fox Network co-founder Kevin Wendle[10] and former Disney creative associate Dan Baker,[11] CNET produced four pilot television programs about computers, technology, and the Internet. CNET TV was composed of CNET Central, The Web, and The New Edge.[12][13] CNET Central was created first and aired in syndication in the United States on the USA Network. Later, it began airing on USA's sister network Sci-Fi Channel along with The Web and The New Edge.[12] These were later followed by TV.com in 1996. Media personality Ryan Seacrest first came to national prominence at CNET, as the host of The New Edge[14] and doing various voice-over work for CNET.
CNET online launched in June 1995.[1] CNET, Inc., the site's owner, had its initial public offering (IPO) in July 1996.[15] In 1998, CNET, Inc. was sued by Snap Technologies, operators of the education service CollegeEdge, for trademark infringement relating to CNET, Inc.'s ownership of the domain name Snap.com, due to Snap Technologies already owning a trademark on its name.[16]
CNET produced another television technology news program called News.com that aired on CNBC beginning in 1999.[11] From 2001 to 2003, it operated CNET Radio on the Clear Channel-owned KNEW (910) in the San Francisco Bay Area, WBPS (890) in Boston, and XM Satellite Radio. CNET Radio offered technology-themed programming. After failing to attract a sufficient audience, CNET Radio ceased operating in January 2003 due to financial losses.[17]
Acquisitions and expansions
[edit]In July 1999, CNET, Inc. acquired the Swiss-based company GDT, later renamed to CNET Channel.[18][19] In 1998, CNET, Inc. granted the right to Asiacontent.com to set up CNET Asia and the operation was brought back in December 2000.[20] In January 2000, the same time CNET, Inc. became CNET Networks,[21] it acquired comparison shopping site mySimon for $736 million.[22][23] In October 2000, CNET Networks acquired ZDNET for approximately $1.6 billion.[24][25][26] In January 2001, Ziff Davis reached an agreement with CNET Networks to regain the URLs lost in the 2000 sale of Ziff Davis to SoftBank, a publicly traded Japanese media and technology company. In April 2001, CNET acquired TechRepublic, which provides content for IT professionals from Gartner, for $23 million in cash and stock.[27][28] In May 2002, CNET Networks acquired Smartshop, an automated product catalog and feature comparison technology company, for an undisclosed amount.[29]
On July 14, 2004, CNET Networks announced that it would acquire photography website Webshots for $70 million ($60 million in cash, $10 million in deferred consideration),[30] completing the acquisition that same month.[31][32] In October 2007, it sold Webshots to American Greetings for $45 million.[33][34] In August 2005, CNET Networks acquired Metacritic, a review aggregation website, for an undisclosed amount.[35]
In 2005, Google representatives refused to be interviewed by all CNET reporters for a year after CNET published Google's CEO Eric Schmidt's salary and named the neighborhood where he lives, as well as some of his hobbies and political donations.[36] All the information had been gleaned from Google searches.[37][38]
In September 2006, CNET acquired Chowhound, an online food community.[39]
On October 10, 2006, Shelby Bonnie resigned as chairman and CEO, in addition to two other executives, as a result of a stock options backdating scandal that occurred between 1996 and 2003.[40] This would also cause the firm to restate its financial earnings over 1996 to 2003 for over $105 million in resulting expenses.[41] The Securities and Exchange Commission later dropped an investigation into the practice. Neil Ashe was named as the new CEO.[42][43][44]
In December 2006, James Kim, an editor at CNET, died in the Oregon wilderness. CNET hosted a memorial show and podcasts dedicated to him.[45]
On March 1, 2007, CNET announced the public launch of BNET, a website targeted towards business managers. BNET had been running under beta status since 2005.[46] In 2008 programmer Chris Wanstrath, who worked on GameSpot and Chowhound, left CNET to start GitHub.[47]
CBS Corporation ownership
[edit]On May 15, 2008, it was announced that CBS Corporation would buy CNET Networks for US$ 1.8 billion.[3][4][48][49] On June 30, 2008, the acquisition was completed.[50] Former CNET Networks properties were managed under CBS Interactive at the time. CBS Interactive acquired many domain names originally created by CNET Networks, including download.com, downloads.com, upload.com, news.com, search.com, TV.com, mp3.com, chat.com, computers.com, shopper.com, com.com, and cnet.com. It also held radio.com until CBS Radio was sold to Entercom in 2017.[51]
In 2011, CNET and CBS Interactive were sued by a coalition of artists (led by FilmOn founder Alki David) for copyright infringement by promoting the download of LimeWire, a popular peer to peer downloading software.[52][53] Although the original suit was voluntarily dropped by Alki David, he vowed to sue at a later date to bring "expanded"[54] action against CBS Interactive. In November 2011, another lawsuit against CBS Interactive was introduced, claiming that CNET and CBS Interactive knowingly distributed LimeWire, the file sharing software.[55]
On September 19, 2013, CBS Interactive launched a Spanish language sister site under the name CNET en Español.[56] It focuses on topics of relevance primarily to Spanish-speaking technology enthusiasts. The site offered a "new perspective" on technology and is under the leadership of managing editor Gabriel Sama.[57] The site not only offered news and tutorials, but also had a robust reviews section that it was led by Juan Garzon. After Red Ventures' acquisition, the company announced the closing of CNET en Español on November 11, 2020, leaving the largest tech site in Spanish in the US out of the market.
In March 2014, CNET refreshed its site by merging with CNET UK and vowing to merge all editions of the agency into a unified agency. This merge brought many changes, foremost of which would be a new user interface and the renaming of CNET TV as CNET Video.
Red Ventures ownership
[edit]Red Ventures announced in September 2020 that it would acquire CNET from ViacomCBS for $500 million.[58][59] The transaction was completed on October 30, 2020.[6]
In November 2022, CNET began publishing articles written with artificial intelligence and edited by humans.[60] CNET was criticized for failing to disclose that it was using a machine to write articles,[61] and for using human bylines on some AI-generated content until caught by independent investigators.[62] CNET reviewed those articles in January 2023 after many were found to contain serious errors and plagiarized material.[63][8] CNET reporters said Red Ventures pushed them to give more favourable coverage to advertisers and work on sponsored content.[9] Subsequently, 10% of CNET staff were laid off.[64] Employees unionized in response to the scandal and layoffs, saying AI-generated content posed a danger to their professional reputations.[64][65][66] A former staffer demanded that her byline be removed from the site, in order to protect her reputation if her articles were revised by AI.[67]
In August 2023, CNET had deleted thousands of old articles from their website in an effort to raise the search engine optimization rankings on Google Search.[68][69] Before an article is deleted on its website, CNET creates an internal copy and another to Wayback Machine. The writer, if still employed by CNET, is also alerted 10 days in advance.[68][70] Google said deleting articles to optimize for search engine rankings is not a good practice.[70]
In January 2024, Axios reported that Red Ventures was exploring a sale of the website, with a goal of attaining at least $250 million for it. The site was profitable at the time.[64] The approximate halving of CNET's value under Red Ventures' ownership is attributed to interest rates, a slower ad market, and the reputational damage to CNET caused by the AI scandals.[71]
On August 6, 2024, the New York Times reported that Red Ventures had reached an agreement to sell CNET to Ziff Davis for $100 million, subject to regulatory approval.[72]
Websites
[edit]CNET Networks
[edit]- CNET.com, CNET Taiwan, CNET.co.uk, CNET Channel, CNET.de, CNET AU, CNET Asia, CNET Japan, CNET Gadget
- ZDNet.com, ZDNet UK, ZDNet AU, ZDNet.fr, ZDNet DE, ZDNet China, ZDNet Korea
- TechRepublic (2001–2021)[75]
- Silicon.com (2002–2012)[76]
- atlarge.com (2006–2012)[77]
- mySimon.com (2008–2020)
- GameSpot (2000–2022)
- Webshots (2004–2007)[34]
- Chowhound (2006–2022)
- MP3.com (2003–2020)
Networks websites:
- News.com
- Download.com
- Builder
CNET Networks France websites:
- businessMOBILE.fr
- News.fr
- Gamekult (2007–2014)
- Arts-Culinaires.com
- Recettes-de-Cuisine.com
- Cuisine-Noel.com
- MusicSPOT.fr
CNET Networks Japan websites:
- GameSpot Japan
- Tetsudo.com
Gamecenter
[edit]CNET launched a website to cover video games, CNET Gamecenter, in the middle of 1996.[78] According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it was "one of the first Web sites devoted to computer gaming news".[79] It became a leading game-focused website;[80][81] in 1999, PC Magazine named it one of the hundred-best websites in any field, alongside competitors IGN and GameSpot.[82] According to Gamecenter head Michael Brown, the site received between 50,000 and 75,000 daily visitors by late 2000.[78] In May 2000, CNET founded the Gamecenter Alliance network to bring Gamecenter and four partner websites, including Inside Mac Games, under one banner.[83] Nielsen//NetRatings ranked Gamecenter the sixth-most-popular gaming website in the United States by mid-2000.[84]
On July 19, 2000, CNET, Inc. made public its plan to buy Ziff-Davis and its ZDNet Internet business for $1.6 billion.[85] Because ZDNet had partnered with SpotMedia—parent company of GameSpot—in late 1996,[86] the acquisition brought both GameSpot and Gamecenter under CNET, Inc.'s ownership.[80][87] Later that year, The New York Times described the two publications as the "Time and Newsweek of gaming sites". The paper reported that Gamecenter "seem[ed] to be thriving" amid the dot-com crash, with its revenue distributed across online advertising and an affiliate sales program with CNET's Game Shopper website,[78] launched in late 1999.[88]
Following an almost $400 million loss at CNET as a result of the dot-com crash, the company ended the Gamecenter Alliance network in January 2001.[87][89] On February 7, Gamecenter itself was closed in a redundancy reduction effort, as GameSpot was the more successful of the two sites.[79][87] Around 190 jobs were cut from CNET during this period,[89] including "at least 20" at Gamecenter, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.[79] Discussing the situation, Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer reported, "It is thought [...] that very few if any of the website's staff will move sideways into jobs at GameSpot, now the company's other gaming asset."[89] The Washington Post later noted that Gamecenter was among the "popular video-game news sites" to close in 2001, alongside Daily Radar.[90]
Criticism
[edit]Hopper controversy
[edit]In January 2013, CNET named Dish Network's "Hopper with Sling" digital video recorder as a nominee for the CES "Best in Show" award (which is decided by CNET on behalf of its organizers), and named it the winner in a vote by the site's staff. However, CBS abruptly disqualified the Hopper, and vetoed the results because the company was in active litigation with Dish Network. CNET also announced that it could no longer review any product or service provided by companies that CBS are in litigation with (which also includes Aereo). The new vote subsequently gave the Best in Show award to the Razer Edge tablet instead.[91][92][93]
Dish Network's CEO Joe Clayton said that the company was "saddened that CNET's staff is being denied its editorial independence because of CBS' heavy-handed tactics."[91] On January 14, 2013, editor-in-chief Lindsey Turrentine addressed the situation, stating that CNET's staff were in an "impossible" situation due to the conflict of interest posed by the situation, and promised that she would do everything within her power to prevent a similar incident from occurring again. The conflict also prompted one CNET senior writer, Greg Sandoval, to resign.[92]
The decision also drew the ire of staff from the Consumer Electronics Association, the organizers of CES; CEO Gary J. Shapiro criticized the decision in a USA Today op-ed column and a statement by the CEA, stating that "making television easier to watch is not against the law. It is simply pro-innovation and pro-consumer." Shapiro felt that the decision also hurt the confidence of CNET's readers and staff, "destroying its reputation for editorial integrity in an attempt to eliminate a new market competitor." As a result of the controversy and fearing damage to the show's brand, the CEA announced on January 31, 2013, that CNET will no longer decide the CES Best in Show award winner due to the interference of CBS (the position has been offered to other technology publications), and the "Best in Show" award was jointly awarded to both the Hopper with Sling and Razer Edge.[93]
Malware in downloads
[edit]With a catalog of more than 400,000 titles, the Downloads section of the website allows users to download popular software. CNET's download.com provides Windows, Macintosh, and mobile software for download. CNET claims that this software is free of spyware, but independent sources have confirmed that this is not the case. While Download.com is overall a safe place to download programs, precautions should be taken before downloading from the site, as some downloads do contain malware.[94][95][96][97]
AI-generated content (2023)
[edit]In January 2023, Wikipedia editors began the process of downgrading CNET's reliability rating as a source following the revelation that CNET was publishing content generated by artificial intelligence. In response to the decision, CNET claimed it maintained high editorial standards, stating, "It is important to clarify that CNET is not actively using AI to create new content. While we have no specific plans to restart, any future initiatives would follow our public AI policy."[65][7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Farber, Dan (2008-06-24). "Preview: CNET's new, improved look". CNET. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ^ "CBS Corporation to acquire CNET Networks, Inc". CBS Corporation. May 15, 2008. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ a b "radargit. Networks". CNET. May 15, 2008. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ a b "CBS buying CNet in online push". CNN. May 15, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ "CBS Corporation completes acquisition of CNET Networks; merges operations into new, expanded CBS Interactive Business Unit". CBS Corporation. June 30, 2008. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
- ^ a b "Red Ventures Announces Closing of Acquisition of CNET Media Group". PR Newswire. 2020-10-30. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
- ^ a b Edwards, Benj (2024-02-29). "AI-generated articles prompt Wikipedia to downgrade CNET's reliability rating". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ a b "CNET's AI Journalist Appears to Have Committed Extensive Plagiarism". Futurism. 23 January 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ a b Sato, Mia (2023-02-02). "CNET pushed reporters to be more favorable to advertisers, staffers say". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- ^ "Digital Hollywood Conference". September 27, 2000. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ a b "About Us". CNET Networks. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ a b "CNET". Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ Entertainment Weekly Archived April 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Sterling, Christopher H. (2013-05-13). Biographical Dictionary of Radio. Routledge. p. 321. ISBN 978-1-136-99376-3.
- ^ "CNET press releases". 1997-04-22. Archived from the original on 1997-04-22. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
- ^ Lisa Bowman (November 21, 1998). "Snap! Crackle! Popped! CNet hit with suit over portal name". ZDNET News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2008.
- ^ "CNet pulls plug on radio program". Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal. January 16, 2003. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ "CNET INC /DE (Form Type: 8-K)". SECDatabase. Aug 6, 1999. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "CNET Networks Inc (Form: 10-K)" (PDF). SECDatabase. Apr 1, 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Lee-Young, Joanne (December 15, 2000). "CNET-Ziff-Davis Merger Leaves Asiacontent.com Wondering". Computerworld. Archived from the original on 2011-11-27.
- ^ "CNET INC /DE (Form 8-K)". SECDatabase. Jan 24, 2000. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "CNET Networks Inc (Form Type: 8-K)". SECDatabase. Mar 10, 2000. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Boulton, Clint (January 20, 2000). "CNET Acquires mySimon". InternetNews. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^ "CNET Networks Inc (Form Type: 8-K)". SECDatabase. Oct 27, 2000. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Goodridge, Elisabeth (July 19, 2000). "Cnet To Buy Ziff Davis". InformationWeek. Archived from the original on Oct 10, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ "Interview With CNETnews.com's Sydnie Kohara". JournalismJobs.com. January 2001. Archived from the original on April 13, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ "CNET Networks, Form 10-Q, Quarterly Report, Filing Date May 14, 2001". SECDatabase. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "CNET acquires TechRepublic for $23 million". San Francisco Business Times. April 9, 2001. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
- ^ Kee, Tameka (February 3, 2009). "Semantic Search Firm TextDigger Nabs $4.3 Million Round". CBS News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ "CNET Networks, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Jul 21, 2004". SECDatabase. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "CNET Networks, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Aug 9, 2004" (PDF). SECDatabase. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved Mar 27, 2013.
- ^ "CNET Acquires Photo Service Webshots For $70 Million". Archived from the original on December 6, 2008.
- ^ "CNET Networks, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Oct 31, 2007" (PDF). SECDatabase. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved Mar 27, 2013.
- ^ a b "CNET Sells Off Photo Sharing Site Webshots To American Greetings, For $45 Million". Forbes. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
- ^ "CNET buys out Metacritic". L.A. Biz. August 8, 2005. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ "Google balances privacy, reach (including Erik Schmidt's personal information)". CNET. July 14, 2005. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ^ Taylor, Jerome (August 18, 2010). "Interview to E. Schmidt". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ^ "CNET: We've been blackballed by Google". CNN. August 5, 2005. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ^ Munarriz, Rick (2006-09-20). "It's CHOW Time for CNET". The Motley Fool. Archived from the original on 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ "CNET Networks, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date Oct 11, 2006". SECDatabase. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ Bloomberg News (January 30, 2007). "CNet Restatement Goes Back to 1996". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ "CNET completes options review, CEO resigns". Reuters. October 11, 2006. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- ^ "CNET Avoids Backdating Charges". ABA Journal. Aba Journal. November 5, 2011. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ Stock-Option Backdating Claims CNet's CEO, AdAge, October 11, 2006, archived from the original on October 24, 2013, retrieved July 8, 2011
- ^ Meyers, Michelle. "James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals". CNET. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- ^ "CNET Networks rolls out BNET, Web site targeting business managers". BtoB Magazine. March 1, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ Jr, Tom Huddleston (2018-06-04). "How this 33-year-old college dropout co-founded GitHub, which just sold to Microsoft for $7.5 billion". CNBC. Archived from the original on 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ "CNET Networks, Form 8-K, Current Report, Filing Date May 15, 2008" (PDF). SECDatabase. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "CBS Corporation to acquire CNET Networks, Inc". CBS Corporation. May 15, 2008. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ^ "CNET Networks, Form POS AM, Filing Date Jul 7, 2008". SECDatabase. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "CBS Shareholders Bought Into Entercom. But Will They Stay?". Insideradio.com. 2017-11-20. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- ^ Albanesius, Chloe (May 11, 2011). "CBS, CNET Sued for Copyright Infringement Over LimeWire Distribution". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016.
- ^ Anderson, Nate (May 4, 2011). "CNET sued over LimeWire, blamed for "Internet Piracy Phenomenon"". Ars Technica.
- ^ Sam Gustin (November 16, 2011). "Alki David Drops CNET Lawsuit; Vows to Bring 'Expanded' Action". PaidContent. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012.
- ^ Ernesto, torrentfreak.com (November 15, 2011). "Artists Sue CBS, CNET, for Promoting and Profiting from Piracy". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
- ^ Lindsey Turrentine (September 19, 2013). "CNET en Español is here. Bienvenidos". CNET News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Lindsey Turrentine (August 22, 2013). "Meet the man who will run CNET en Español". CNET News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ "Red Ventures acquires CNET Media Group from ViacomCBS for $500M". TechCrunch. September 14, 2020. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2020-09-14). "ViacomCBS Reaches Deal to Sell CNET for $500 Million to Marketing Firm Red Ventures". Variety. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
- ^ "CNET Is Quietly Publishing Entire Articles Generated By AI". Futurism. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ "CNET's Article-Writing AI Is Already Publishing Very Dumb Errors". Futurism. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ Vincent, James (19 January 2023). "Inside CNET's AI-powered SEO money machine". The Verge. Archived from the original on 9 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Moon, Mariella (18 January 2023). "CNET is reviewing its AI-written articles after being notified of serious errors". Engaget. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Fischer, Sara (2024-01-16). "Scoop: Red Ventures explores sale of CNET". Axios. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ a b Dupré, Maggie Harrison (29 February 2024). "Wikipedia No Longer Considers CNET a "Generally Reliable" Source After AI Scandal". Futurism. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ Harrington, Caitlin. "CNET Published AI-Generated Stories. Then Its Staff Pushed Back". Wired. Archived from the original on 2023-09-02. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ Szczypinski, Sarah. "CNET Was Treating Staff Like Robots Long Before Publishing AI-Generated Articles". Futurism. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b Germain, Thomas (2023-08-09). "CNET Deletes Thousands of Old Articles to Game Google Search". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ^ Edwards, Benj (2023-08-10). "The Internet is not forever after all: CNET deletes old articles to game Google". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ^ a b Sato, Mia (Aug 9, 2023). "CNET is deleting old articles to try to improve its Google Search ranking". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Harrison Dupré, Maggie. "CNET's Publisher Having Trouble Selling It Due to AI Scandal". Futurism. Archived from the original on 2024-03-10. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ Mullin, Benjamin (2024-08-06). "CNET Sold to Ziff Davis in Sign of Possible Media Deals to Come". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ^ "Mieux vivre les technologies". CNET France. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009.
- ^ "CNET Networks Japan | Home". cnetnetworks.jp. Archived from the original on July 10, 2007. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
- ^ "TechnologyAdvice buys trade publication". Nashville Post. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ "News website Silicon.com set to vanish after almost 15 years". the Guardian. 2012-01-25. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ Parsons, Michael (December 4, 2006). "Are you atlarge.com? Here's how to travel connected". CNET. Archived from the original on 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
- ^ a b c Olafson, Peter (December 7, 2000). "BASICS; Sites Keep Up With Games and Gamers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018.
- ^ a b c Fost, Dan (February 15, 2001). "Heavy Lifting Begins for Cnet". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018.
- ^ a b Vaggabond (July 19, 2000). "Cnet buys ZDnet". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018.
- ^ Desslock (February 8, 2001). "Desslock's Ramblings - Online Commercial Gaming Sites Continue to Disappear - Gamecenter.com (and others) Kaput". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 18, 2001. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ Willmott, Don (February 9, 1999). "The 100 Top Web Sites". PC Magazine. 18 (3): 114.
- ^ "CNET Gamecenter Partners with Premier Gaming Sites to Create Elite Alliance" (Press release). San Francisco: CNET. May 11, 2000. Archived from the original on August 11, 2004. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ Strother, Neil (June 6, 2000). "加熱する米ゲーム市場,人気が高いのはどのサイト?". ZDNet (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 16, 2000.
- ^ Kuczynski, Alex; Winter, Greg (July 20, 2000). "CNet Is Buying What Remains Of Ziff-Davis". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010.
- ^ Staff (September 19, 1996). "Ziff, SpotMedia Create Mega-Site for Games". Ad Age. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018.
- ^ a b c Smith, Andrew (February 7, 2001). "CNET shuts Gamecenter". The Register. Archived from the original on December 4, 2004.
- ^ "CNET's Gamecenter.com Launches Game Shopper" (Press release). San Francisco: PR Newswire. October 27, 1999. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c Bramwell, Tom (February 7, 2001). "CNet culls GameCenter". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018.
- ^ Musgrove, Mike (August 3, 2001). "Magazines Whose Time Has Gone". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ a b "Dish Recorder Snubbed for CNET Award Over CBS Legal Scuffle". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ a b Albanesius, Chloe. "CNET Picked Dish Hopper as 'Best of CES' ... Until CBS Stepped In". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "CNET loses CES awards following Dish Hopper controversy; DVR named 'Best In Show'". The Verge. January 31, 2013. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ "Nmap Announce: C-Net Download.Com is now bundling Nmap with malware!". Seclists.org. 5 Dec 2011. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ Matthews, Lee (August 22, 2011). "Download.com wraps downloads in bloatware, lies about motivations". ExtremeTech. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ Heddings, Lowell (Apr 3, 2017). "Here's What Happens When You Install the Top 10 Download.com Apps". How-To Geek. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ "Download.com Caught Adding Malware to Nmap & Other Software". Insecure.org. June 27, 2012. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2015.