Google Rolls Out Fact Check To Combat Fake News Stories
Google has launched a fact checking category to its news service to help verify the accuracy of news articles online, just ahead of the U.S. presidential elections.
The “fact check” label will now appear in expanded story boxes on the Google News website and mobile apps, alongside other labels such as “opinion” and “highly cited.” It is currently available for users in the US and UK.
Google uses its Claim Review process to algorithmically determine whether a fact check is relevant to a given story, and highlights sources that “follow the commonly accepted criteria for fact checks.” It is not clear how many fact check sites have been included in Google’s system, though the company invited sites to apply in a blog post.
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“We’re excited to see the growth of the Fact Check community and to shine a light on its efforts to divine fact from fiction, wisdom from spin,” Richard Gingras, Google’s head of news added.
The update comes amid growing concern about the truth of articles published and promoted online. Facebook has come under fire for promoting fake news after users found its news section contained false, inaccurate and potentially offensive stories.
The US presidential election has been marred by misinformation and outright lies, most glaringly from Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
