Google decides it won't comply with EU fact-checking law<p>Google has told the EU it will not comply with a forthcoming fact-checking law, according to a <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/16/google-fact-check-eu">copy of a letter obtained by
Axios[/url]. The company states that it will not be adding fact checks to search results or YouTube videos and will not use fact-checking data when ranking or removing content.</p>
<p>It’s important to note that Google has never really participated in fact-checking as part of its content moderation policies. The company did, however, <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/03/21/google-joins-forces-with-european-fact-checkers-ahead-of-eu-elections">invest in a European fact-checking database[/url] ahead of recent EU elections.</p>
<span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>The upcoming fact-checking requirement was originally implemented by the European Commission’s new <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/code-practice-disinformation">Code of Practice on Disinformation[/url]. It started as a voluntary set of “self-regulatory standards to fight disinformation” but will soon become mandatory.</p>
<p>Google's global affairs president Kent Walker said the fact-checking integration "simply isn't appropriate or effective for our services" in a letter to the European Commission. The company also touted its current approach to content moderation, suggesting it did a bang-up job during last year’s “unprecedented cycle of global elections.”</p>
<p>Google also points to a <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/youtube-invites-users-to-test-its-community-notes-feature-224823088.html">new feature added to YouTube last year[/url] that enables certain users to add contextual notes to videos, saying that it “has significant potential.” This program is similar to X’s Community Notes and, likely, whatever fresh hell <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-starting-to-test-community-notes-232150151.html">Meta is cooking up[/url].</p>
<p>Walker went on to say that Google will continue to invest in <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="
https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/sorry-we-cant-why-did-google-refuse-to-add-fact-checks-to-search-results-article-117309821">current content moderation technologies[/url], like Synth ID watermarking and AI disclosures on YouTube. We have no idea what the EU will do in response to Google once digital fact-checking practices become law.</p>
<p>This is happening just after Meta announced it would be <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-is-ditching-third-party-fact-checkers-on-facebook-instagram-142330246.html">ending its fact-checking program[/url] in the US, so who knows if Mark Zuckerberg will comply with EU laws. X scaled back its <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/11/09/twitter-birdwatch-factcheck-musk-misinfo/">professional fact checkers a while ago[/url]. Big tech certainly seems to have a big problem with, um, facts.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-decides-it-wont-comply-with-eu-fact-checking-law-201514781.html?src=rssSource:
Google decides it won't comply with EU fact-checking law
