Google is stepping up its fight against Fake News. The search engine will be using "fact check" tags in its search results. When people use Google to search for something or if they use Google News, they will see a conclusion next to the stories that have been fact-checked. Stories may be labeled as false, mostly true, or true.
Google has been working alongside over 100 news organizations and fact-checking groups. A few of their partners include the BBC, The Associated Press and NPR. The conclusions will appear in search results, if certain formatting criteria for automation have been met.
For now, only a few fact-checking organizations have met the requirements. Google said PolitiFact and Snopes have already met those requirements. The Washington Post complies, too. Google said the list of compliant organizations is expected to grow as time goes on.
Users can provide feedback
The fact-checking tags will also feature a feedback link. Users can click the link to leave feedback if they believe something is wrong. This change comes months after Google, Facebook and others faced criticism for spreading misinformation and fake news.
Google's fact-checking feature was first released last year, a few weeks prior to the U.S. presidential election. At that time, the feature was only available in limited capacity.
However, the tool is going to be more of a permanent thing, and it's going to be available in all languages.
Not all results will feature the new tag
Not all results will have the fact-checking indication. Also, some of the companies and groups Google is using for verification may not agree on the accuracy of the information in question.
As of now, it's not clear how Google will decide to display such information in its results. For example, if a story has been fact-checked as fake by one of Google's partners, but some partners think otherwise, then it's unclear what Google will do.
Google did publish a blog post. In it, Google said it's helpful for people to understand what others think of a particular claim.
They added that it's good to have clear information on what sources are in agreement.
Just last month, Facebook stepped up its fight against misleading information or questionable content. The company started tagging certain stories as "disputed" and they included a link to a fact-checking site. Facebook has also released a short guide detailing how users can spot fake news.
