EU law meets resistance: Google refuses to add fact-checks to search results

Google has informed the European Union that it will not incorporate fact-checking into its search results or YouTube videos, nor use them to influence content ranking or removal, despite the requirements of a new EU law, according to a letter obtained by Axios, per Caliber.Az.

Google has historically avoided including fact-checking in its content moderation practices, and while it privately signalled to EU lawmakers that it would not alter its approach, it is now reaffirming its position as a new voluntary code becomes law.

In a letter to Renate Nikolay, the deputy director general at the European Commission's content and technology arm, Google’s global affairs president Kent Walker stated that the fact-checking integration mandated by the Commission's new Disinformation Code of Practice is “simply not appropriate or effective for our services” and emphasized that Google will not commit to it.

The new code would require Google to display fact-check results alongside its search results and YouTube videos, as well as incorporate fact-checking into its ranking systems and algorithms. Walker defended Google’s current content moderation strategy, pointing to its success in managing content during last year’s “unprecedented cycle of global elections” as evidence of its effectiveness. He also highlighted a YouTube feature introduced last year, allowing users to add contextual notes to videos, noting that it has “significant potential.”

The EU's Disinformation Code of Practice, introduced in 2022, includes several voluntary commitments for tech firms and private companies, including fact-checking organizations. This code predates the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which went into effect in 2022 and calls for stricter content moderation laws.

Over the past year, the European Commission has held discussions with tech companies, encouraging them to transition from voluntary measures to an official code of conduct under the DSA. In his letter, Walker confirmed that Google had already informed the Commission that it would not comply. Google will withdraw from all fact-checking commitments in the Code before it is incorporated into the DSA Code of Conduct, he stated.

Google reiterated its focus on enhancing its existing content moderation practices, which include features such as Synth ID watermarking and AI disclosures on YouTube to provide users with more information about their search results.

This development follows a broader global debate over the role of tech platforms in fact-checking and regulating speech. Recently, Meta announced it would scale back fact-checking and reduce content moderation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Similarly, Elon Musk has rolled back content moderation efforts on X since acquiring the platform in 2022.

By Tamilla Hasanova