YouTube, News, and Search in recent years have surfaced fact checks to deal with misinformation. Google Images is now getting a similar capability to help people “make more informed judgments about what they see on the web.”
Photos and videos are an incredible way to help people understand what’s going on in the world. But the power of visual media has its pitfalls—especially when there are questions surrounding the origin, authenticity or context of an image.
When available, a “Fact Check” label will appear under thumbnail results in Google Images. Of all platforms, this is especially important given the virality of photoshopped content. The full preview of a photo will feature a summary of that fact check.
These labels may appear both for fact check articles about specific images and for fact check articles that include an image in the story.
Like on Google’s other platforms, the labels are sourced from “independent, authoritative sources on the web” as part of the ClaimReview schema. The company also clarifies the ranking impact:
Just as is the case in Search, adding this label in Google Images results does not affect ranking; our systems are designed to surface the most relevant, reliable information available, including from sources that provide fact checks.
Fact checks in Google Images are rolling out globally starting today.
More about fact checks:
- YouTube brings fact check panels that counter misinformation to the US
- Google News Initiative launches new fact checking tools, supporting more subscription models
- Google expanding Fact Check worldwide, in all languages, in Search as well as News
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments