Google News Now Forbids Websites From Appearing in Search Results of Misinformation Regarding Country of Origin is Detected
Recent reports have revealed that in an effort to reduce the dissemination of fake news over the world wide web, Google has updated their News website to ban sites that mask their country of origin. This means that if news outlets are less than honest about their home origin, Google will not be posting any of their news.
"We update our policies on a regular basis to reflect a constantly changing web and how people look for information online," a Google spokeswoman wrote in a statement, as reported by Bloomberg. "As a result, we want to ensure that people can understand and see where their news online is coming from and that sites are being transparent about their origins."
Further reports reveal that the update now forbids sites that misrepresent or conceal their country of origin or to the people who claim to be in false premises. Thus, for those who would like to appear in the search results of Google News, they would have to meet certain criteria that Google has disseminated. For one, website will have to accurately and precisely represent their owners or primary purposes for the sake of transparency and counteracting fake news from spreading.
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The update comes after the tech giant came under fire and investigation after it admitted that Russian agents used its platforms, such as YouTube and Google News, in spreading propaganda. The government has called on Google to take punitive action, and while the update will not eradicate news from those that accurately represent their country of origin, the tech giant seems to be heeding the congress' advice. As such, the update will affect those who implement misinformation tactics and campaigns, such as the likes of the techniques used by the Russian Internet Research Agency who posed as a credible U.S. outlet to acquire an estimated 50,000 audience through Twitter.
