Google is bringing some more ammunition to the fight against fake news.
The Web giant just introduced a new label that will identify articles appearing in Google News and Search that have been reviewed by third-party fact-checking organizations. Google first started testing the Fact Check tag in a few countries in October, and now it's making the feature available globally, in all languages.
Say you want to verify something controversial a politician has said. When you Google that topic, you may now see a page from fact-checking sites such as PolitiFact or Snopes at the top of your results offering information about the claim, who made it, and whether it's true.
"With thousands of new articles published online every minute of every day, the amount of content confronting people online can be overwhelming," the company wrote in a blog post. "Unfortunately, not all of it is factual or true, making it hard for people to distinguish fact from fiction."
Google warned that fact checks won't be available for every search result, and that different publishers may check the same claim and reach different conclusions.
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"These fact checks are not Google's and are presented so people can make more informed judgements," Google wrote. "Even though differing conclusions may be presented, we think it's still helpful for people to understand the degree of consensus around a particular claim and have clear information on which sources agree."
Google has laid out some rules for publishers who want to be included as fact checkers, noting that "only publishers that are algorithmically determined to be an authoritative source of information will qualify for inclusion."
Meanwhile, Facebook just yesterday introduced a new educational tool designed to help people spot bogus stories. The social network will feature this new tool at the top of people's News Feeds for the next few days. Look for a banner offering "tips for spotting false news" and click "Learn More" to educate yourself.
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