• Live
    • Audio Only
  • google plus
  • facebook
  • twitter
News > Science and Tech

Google Expands 'Fact Check' Tool to Flag Fake News

  • Google has implemented this feature to combat the spread of fake news.

    Google has implemented this feature to combat the spread of fake news. | Photo: AFP

Published 9 April 2017
Opinion

Google emphasized that the company will not be fact-checking, but will present it “so people can make more informed judgments."

Google has joined fellow social media giant Facebook – who recently partnered with Craigslist founder to fight fake news. The tech company has integrated a fact-checking tool in its search and news results.

RELATED: 
Facebook Partners with Craiglist to Fight Fake News

The search engine giant implemented the feature to combat the spread of fake news that has been plaguing internet firms' content. Much like Facebook, Google will suggest results from fact-checking sites PolitiFact and Snopes.

Late last year Google tested the feature in a few countries using Google News. The recent announcement by the company signals the rollout of the new feature. Google emphasized that the company will not be doing the actual fact-checking, but will present it “so people can make more informed judgments." Google further stated that there will likely be instances in which a publisher may produce different results for the same query. "Even though differing conclusions may be presented, we think it's still helpful for people to understand the degree of consensus around a particular claim and have clear information on which sources agree," Google explained. The website also warned that information won't be available for every search.

Publishers wishing to be included in the fact-check feature just need to incorporate some additional code into their websites. Internet companies – Google included – are increasingly being criticized for their inability to filter fake news and misinformation from their pages.

Comment
0
Comments
Post with no comments.