Google Extends Fact-checking to Image Search

Alphabet’s Google lately stated that it would start displaying fact-checking labels on Google Images search results worldwide, as tech firms come under rising pressure to fight the viral spread of misleading claims and misinformation online.

Google will show the “fact check” labels underneath thumbnails that appear in image search results accompanied by a summary of third-party fact-checkers’ findings, as the company already does on its general search engine and Google News results.

Google Extends Fact-checking to Image Search

The company began to display fact-checking labels to US viewers on its video platform YouTube back in April in a bid to control coronavirus misinformation, which erupted on social media as the COVID-19 pandemic intensified.

In recent times, tech firms have been facing calls to police content more aggressively after their hands-off approach enabled fake accounts and false claims to become rampant online.

YouTube has surfaced links to sources like Encyclopedia, Britannica, and Wikipedia to solve common hoaxes since the year 2018 but stated in its April announcement that it would initiate directing efforts toward more fast-moving news cycles.

Soon after that, it removed the wildly viral “Pandemic” video, which advanced a conspiracy theory about the COVID-19 pandemic to millions of viewers in just a few days.

The social media giants Twitter and Facebook have also started fact-checking programs and warning labels for “manipulated media” and misleading claims. However, critics told that the steps taken are too limited in scope.

Check out? Now Control YouTube Music While Navigating Without Leaving the Google Map