Google to begin fact-checking Google Images

Google said Monday it would begin fact-checking images discoverable via its search tool, Google Images, to fight misinformation online.

Users will notice a “Fact Check” label attached to various thumbnail image results on Google Images, which will provide additional information about specific images and for “fact check articles that include an image in the story,” according to Google.

“Fact check labels appear on results that come from independent, authoritative sources on the web that meet our criteria,” wrote Harris Cohen, Google’s search group product manager, on the company’s blog. “These sources rely on ClaimReview, an open method used by publishers to indicate fact check content to search engines. We already highlight fact checks on Search and in Google News to make this content easy to discover.”

Google said its YouTube product also provides fact-check information when accessed in Brazil, India and the United States. Additionally, the company has a fact-check library that users can browse.

Google’s newest move to provide context for content discoverable on its platforms comes on the heels of its threats to take action against conservative publishers for the content appearing on their platforms.

Google threatened to remove the conservative website The Federalist from its advertising platform last week, which prompted Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, to send a letter warning of repercussions if the company took action against conservatives.

The ongoing feud between political conservatives and Big Tech has resulted in competing proposals on whether and how to regulate Big Tech companies, including Google. Both Senate Republicans and the Justice Department released proposals last week that aim to limit liability protections provided to internet platforms under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.