Google has published a document detailing how the company combats misinformation in search, news and YouTube.
Below is a summary of the key elements of the document.
What is disinformation?;
Each person understands the concept of misinformation, or "fake news", differently.
Google says misinformation creates problems for users when people intentionally try to deceive others.
“By the term ‘disinformation’ we refer to these deliberate attempts to deceive and mislead using the speed and technologies offered by the Internet.”.
How does Google with misinformation?
Google admits that it is difficult to combat misinformation because it is almost impossible to determine the author's intent behind a post.
The company has designed a framework to address this challenge, which consists of the following three strategies.
- Important content
Information is organized by algorithms, which are geared towards promoting useful content rather than ideological views.
- Dealing with hackers
Algorithms alone are not enough to verify the accuracy of content, so Google has invested in systems that can reduce unwanted behavior.
- More information for users
Google provides more information to users through mechanisms such as:
Knowledge panels
Fact-check labels
“Full Coverage” feature in Google News
“Breaking News” boards on YouTube
“Why this ad” in Google Ads
Feedback buttons in search, YouTube, and advertising products
Tackling misinformation on Google Search & Google News
Google's document explains the above in detail for those unfamiliar with how search works.
Google notes that Search and News share the same spam defenses, but they don't use the same ranking systems and content policies.
For example, Google Search does not remove content except in specific cases, while Google News is more restrictive.
Contrary to popular belief, Google says there is minimal personalization in search results, based on users' interests or search history.
Fighting misinformation in Google Ads
Google is taking action against attempts to circumvent its advertising policies.
Policies to address misinformation on Google's advertising platforms focus on the following types of actions:
- Copied or inauthentic content: Google doesn't allow ads on pages with inauthentic content.
- Misrepresentation: Google doesn't allow ads that are intended to deceive users by excluding relevant information or providing misleading information.
- Inappropriate content: Ads are not allowed when they contain dangerous, derogatory, or violent content.
- Certain types of political content
- Elections: Additional verification is required for anyone who wants to buy an election ad on Google in the US.
Fighting misinformation on YouTube
Google has strict policies for maintaining content on YouTube.
Content that can mislead users in various ways or low-quality content that can lead to a bad experience for users (such as clickbait) is recommended less often.
