True or false? How Google and Facebook are cranking up the fake news fight
Expanded fact-check tags in searches and tips on how to spot fictitious reports are new tools aimed at ensuring web users are not fed inaccurate or misleading information
Two major online platforms are stepping up their fact-checking measures to combat the proliferation of fake news.
Google will expand the use of “fact check” tags in its search results – something already introduced in the US and the UK last October – while Facebook is launching a feature to help users spot false news and misleading information that spreads on its service.
People who search for a topic in Google’s main search engine or the Google News section will soon see a conclusion such as “mostly true” or “false” next to stories that have been fact checked.
Google has been working with more than 100 news organisations and fact-checking groups, including The Associated Press, the BBC and NPR. Their conclusions will appear in search results as long as they meet certain formatting criteria for automation.
Google said only a few of those organisations, including PolitiFact and Snopes.com, have already met those requirements; The Washington Post also says it complies. Google said it expects the ranks of compliant organisation to grow following this month’s announcement.