The issue of fake news propagated through images or websites has been persisting for some time. While major tech companies such as Google, Meta, and others have implemented various tools to combat fake news, the problem continues to persist. Google has announced its plans to extend the reach of two of its tools to more regions and languages. Additionally, Google has outlined four search features that users can utilise to identify fake news or images.
Google Features To Spot Fake Websites, Images
One of Google's search features is the "About this result" feature, which provides users with information about a website before they click on it. Users can simply tap on the three dots next to a website in the search results and select the "more about this page" option. This feature provides basic information about the website, such as public opinions about it or descriptions from Wikipedia. According to Nahi Hebar, Google's senior product manager, having more information about the website enables users to make informed decisions about visiting it.
Google has expanded the availability of the "more about this page" feature in About this result to an additional 40 languages globally. These languages include French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, among others.
Additionally, there is an "About this image" feature that enables users to investigate the background and context of images they come across online. To access this tool, users can click on the three dots next to an image in Google Images results or select "more about this page" in the About this result tool within search results. Moreover, this feature allows users to determine when an image or similar images were first detected by Search and whether they were previously published on other web pages. If available, users can also review metadata added to an image by its creators and publishers.