In 2016, Google introduced a fact check feature in Search and News to enable users to make an informed judgment about online content.
The search engine highlighted fact checks from authoritative sources on Google Search and Google News. It’s over three years since its introduction, and fact check has appeared more than 11 million times a day in the search result.
Now, Google is extending this feature to the photos. Google image search results will now have “Fact Check” labels to help searchers verify an image’s authenticity and make an informed decision about the content.
In a blog post announcement, group product manager at Google, Harris Cohen said:
“Starting today, we are surfacing fact check information in Google Images globally to help people navigate these issues and make more informed judgments about what they see on the web.”
Here’s how the new label works.
Using Fact Check Labels in Image Search Results
Image results on Google Images now have a “Fact Check” label underneath the thumbnail. So, tapping on any image to view a large preview reveals the summary of the information on the web page.
According to Google, the label will only appear on specific images from independent, authoritative sources on the web. But, the criteria that publishers must meet to be considered an “authoritative source” is unclear.
A help page suggests that Google uses an algorithm to determine which sources are authoritative on the web. Likewise, these sources rely on ClaimReview to indicate verified content to search engines.
Cohen noted:
“We already highlight fact checks on Search and in Google News to make this content easy to discover. YouTube also leverages ClaimReview to surface fact check information panels in Brazil, India and the U.S.”
With that said, Google still focused on surfacing the most relevant information available. So, while it encourages fact-checking, the label will not be a ranking factor on the search engine.
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