Google will be fact-checking images as part of its efforts to curb fake news. Google will add fact-check labels to images that appear in Google Search.
The company wrote a blog post that detailed how the fact-checking system works. The fact-checkwill first appear on the image thumbnail under the Google Image search. Upon clicking the image, a summary of the fact-check will appear on the underlying web page. The labels will be for both articles that have carried the image, as well as the image in itself if it is found to be fake.
Google will rely on “independent, authoritative sources on the web” that meets the company’s criteria which includes the algorithm detecting it’s a trusted source. The fact-checking sources will have to route their content via ClaimReview, which is an open method for publishers to indicate fact check content on search engines.
Google already relies on the method to fact-check articles on the Search page and Google News. YouTube also leverages the method to surface fact check information panels in Brazil, India and the US.
You can also access the full library of fact checks via a dedicated search tool or an open API.
However, adding a fact-checkto the image does not impact its ranking. Google will still surface the most relevant information available.
Google also said it has provided $6.5 million in recognition of work being done by fact-checkers during the ongoing pandemic via the Google News Initiative.