X, Facebook, YouTube Toughen Up Over Hate Speech
After Mark Zuckerberg's big announcement that Meta will no longer fact check, Google is also sending a message to the European Union: The search giant is opting out of a new EU law that requires fact checks.
Google will not be adding fact checks to its search results or YouTube videos in Europe, flouting an EU law that requires it
New EU regulations call for Google to include fact-checking results alongside Google and Youtube searches. Google is refusing to meet the guidelines.
Google has reportedly conveyed to the European Union (EU) that it will not add fact-checking features to search results and YouTube videos. This clearly indicates that Google will not commit to implementing measures against misinformation as demanded by the EU.
Other signatories to the voluntary code set up in May 2016 are Dailymotion, Instagram, Jeuxvideo.com, LinkedIn, Microsoft hosted consumer services, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, TikTok and Twitch
The pushback comes as the emboldened leaders of US tech companies, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, have been courting President-elect Donald Trump, with Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg urging him directly to combat EU regulatory enforcement.
Google announced its intention Thursday to flout European Union standards for digital fact-checking, opting not to build an internal department to moderate and verify YouTube content despite requirements from a new law.
Top tech companies like X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have signed a voluntary commitment to make efforts to prevent illegal hate speech (as defined by European Union laws) on their platforms in the EU.
Google rejects EU's fact-checking requirements for search and YouTube, defying new disinformation rules. Google has reportedly told the EU it won’t add fact-checking to search results or YouTube videos, nor will it use fact-checks to influence rankings or remove content. This decision defies new EU rules aimed at tackling disinformation.
Meta's Facebook, Elon Musk's X, Google's YouTube and other tech companies have agreed to do more to tackle online hate speech under an updated code of conduct that will now be integrated into EU tech rules, the European Commission said on Monday.
If the trend becomes entrenched, the Commission would need to reconsider its fact-checking demands, a source told Euractiv