Did you know Filipinos search for topics like “fake news” and “misinformation” more than anyone else in the world? Google Trends also says we’re among the top 10 countries worldwide searching about “disinformation” and “fact-checking.”

Our curiosity about topics like these shows that we’re aware of a problem and trying to understand it better to fight back. Thankfully, the biggest search tool worldwide has got our back in the fight against misinformation.

Google and YouTube deepen commitment to fight misinformation

“Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Core to this mission is to provide people with trustworthy content and opportunities for freedom of expression while addressing misinformation,” said Mervin Wenke, Head of Communications and Public Affairs at Google Philippines.

As part of its ongoing commitment to drive news and media literacy in the Philippines, here are some of the various tools and ways Google and YouTube are helping fight misinformation:

AI labeling tool on YouTube

Aiming to foster greater transparency and trust between creators and their audiences, YouTube launched an important content-labeling tool within Creator Studio for content creators. The new tool requires all creators to disclose when their realistic content is produced using altered or synthetic media, including generative AI.

#YOUThink magazine in Ilocano

To reach more Filipinos across different regions outside the capital, Google will be publishing its #YOUTHink media literacy publication, which tackles topics about disinformation, in the Ilocano language. Versions in Filipino, English and Cebuano are currently available.

Search on Gemini

To make searching the internet easier, people can prompt the Gemini AI to look up questions or queries. Users can double-check Gemini’s response using the built-in Google Search button to promote critical thinking. People can also explore the “Search related topics” and “Sources” displayed to assess information further.

Google Search “About This Result” feature

Available in Filipino, the “About This Result” feature shows people more information about a particular entry on the results page by clicking the three dots beside a result’s URL. The information pane shows additional context for that entry to help people understand where the information is coming from and see how Google’s systems determined it would be helpful for their query.

Breaking News on YouTube

When a major breaking news event happens, this shelf appears on YouTube’s homepage to ensure viewers have easy and immediate access to authoritative news sources.

Information Panels

When people search or watch videos on YouTube about topics prone to misinformation, such as the moon landing or “the Earth is flat,” they will see an information panel linked to third-party sources at the top of their search results or under a video you’re watching.

Community Guidelines

Community Guidelines are rules of the road for how to behave on YouTube. These policies apply to all types of content on the platform, including unlisted and private content, comments, links, Community posts, and thumbnails. Creators receive a strike for every Community Guideline violation; three (3) strikes within 90 days means permanent removal from YouTube.

Fact-checking training

Google consistently holds capacity-building workshops worldwide to help media assess information online. Over the past several years, Google has trained more than 220,000 journalists in 17 countries across Asia Pacific, including the Philippines.

In addition to efforts to support and enable fact-checking, Google is also committed to helping media and creators succeed on platforms like Shorts so that quality content and journalism thrive even on new popular formats.

“We believe the media and creators do play an important role in ensuring that more Filipinos online can connect to trusted information even on new formats like short videos,” said Wenke.

This is a press release. Minor edits have been made by the 8List.ph editorial team.

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