Google wants to inoculate people against harmful content. They’re saying they can do it, but it’s worth noting that they’re the ones doing the talking.
Google hopes to exploit these findings in other projects.
Google, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet, wants to better inform people about fake news. It’s launching a programme next week with the specific goal of countering disinformation about Ukrainian refugees online in Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The programme will be released on Monday, June 18th and is based on prebunking, which is an emerging area of research that looks at how people can become more resilient against misinformation if they are taught to identify manipulation in content.
Google has a pilot study that can eventually be implemented more widely to help stem the misinformation flow online. Content online can cause real-world harm, and this project is welcome, even if it’s not as effective as a beaver dam in a raging river.
It should not go unnoticed that Google has been running ads from organizations like Red Cross and Save the Children on Covid-19 sites with conspiracy theories.
Google, Meta, and Twitter are enemies in the fight against misinformation. These companies create a smoke-and-mirrors version of the internet to disguise what’s happening, for their own benefit.