Google Will Show Fact-Checking Labels to Detect False News
http://sp-security.blogspot.com/2017/04/google-will-show-fact-checking-labels.html
Joining
the common efforts to tackle the spread of misinformation and fake
news, Google will now display fact-checking labels in its search results
in order to highlight vetted news and information and inform users
whether it is considered to be true or false.
This
new feature was first introduced to Google News in the United Kingdom
and the United States in October 2016. It will appear as an information
box in general search results and news search results globally. The
company explained that the small snippets will show information about
the claim made by a particular page or website and the results of fact
checking on the highlighted claim. The fact checks are performed by
trusted publishers and fact-checkers who can mark claims as having been
checked.
Google believes that making fact checks more visible in search results can help people easier review and assess these fact checks, and eventually make their own informed opinions. The company also explained that the fact check boxes would not be displayed for every search result, and the list of fact checkers will only include publishers that are “algorithmically determined to be an authoritative source of information”.
This move comes amid heavy worldwide criticism of American tech giants for their inaction over the spread of fake news, especially around the recent US election and the extremist content. For instance, German chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet has also backed legislation that could impose fines of up to €50m on social networks if they refuse to delete illegal content and fail to provide users a tool to report misinformation and hate speech.
Facebook also introduced a new feature of third-party fact-checking to flag stories shared as “disputed”. A few days ago, the social media network also introduced a separate tool that designed to educate the public on how to spot fake news – it will be presented to users from 14 countries as a large post at the top of their News Feeds, containing 10 tips for identifying misinformation. Facebook was particularly pressured over this issue after the recent research, which revealed that it was the primary news source for 18-to-24-year-olds. Last summer, Facebook became embroiled in a fake news storm after introducing an algorithm that began promoting fake news.
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Google believes that making fact checks more visible in search results can help people easier review and assess these fact checks, and eventually make their own informed opinions. The company also explained that the fact check boxes would not be displayed for every search result, and the list of fact checkers will only include publishers that are “algorithmically determined to be an authoritative source of information”.
This move comes amid heavy worldwide criticism of American tech giants for their inaction over the spread of fake news, especially around the recent US election and the extremist content. For instance, German chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet has also backed legislation that could impose fines of up to €50m on social networks if they refuse to delete illegal content and fail to provide users a tool to report misinformation and hate speech.
Facebook also introduced a new feature of third-party fact-checking to flag stories shared as “disputed”. A few days ago, the social media network also introduced a separate tool that designed to educate the public on how to spot fake news – it will be presented to users from 14 countries as a large post at the top of their News Feeds, containing 10 tips for identifying misinformation. Facebook was particularly pressured over this issue after the recent research, which revealed that it was the primary news source for 18-to-24-year-olds. Last summer, Facebook became embroiled in a fake news storm after introducing an algorithm that began promoting fake news.
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SaM
