GOOGLE INTRODUCES NEW FACT-CHECK TOOL FOR IMAGES

Thu 26 October 2023:

The war between Israel and Hamas has generated so much false or misleading information online that even fact-checkers and analysts are having a tough time keeping up. Social media is flooded with misleading posts and artificial intelligence is making things worse.

Since the start of the war on 7 October, the majority of disinformation concerned outdated videos and images attributed to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Google’s new “About this image” function, which seeks to give crucial context and background information about images in Google Search, has started rolling out. The functionality is now being rolled out to English users worldwide. It was first unveiled at Google’s I/O developer conference in May.

The three-dot menu that shows up in Search and Google Images results is where you may access the feature. The search engine giant is also releasing improvements for its AI-powered Search Generative Experience and Fact Check Explorer initiative.

An image’s history will allow users to see when an image or similar images may have first been seen by Google Search, and whether it was previously published much earlier on other webpages.

With an image’s metadata, users will be able to see metadata — when available — that image creators and publishers have added to an image, including fields that may indicate that it has been generated or enhanced by AI.

Moreover, users can see how an image is used on other pages, and what other sources, like news and fact-checking sites, have to say about it.

According to Google, this information might be useful for evaluating the claims being made about an image as well as for reviewing evidence and perspectives from other sources.

The tech giant also revealed that authorized journalists and fact-checkers can upload or copy picture URLs to find out more information about them in their own tools using the “FaceCheck Claim Search API” in addition to the About this image tool.

The company started testing features of the Fact Check Explorer tool in June. This tool allows fact-checkers to examine references, fact-checks, and other facts related to a specific image.

Fact Check Explorer

Google’s Fact Check Explorer is an online fact-check search tool that utilizes Google’s claim review markup, the same process that facilitates publishers uploading false claim reviews and Google’s display of fact checks on search results. The explorer aggregates already published fact checks from online sites, rather than providing a fact check itself.

In June, Google released a new beta version of the Fact Check Explorer that allows users to also search fact-checked images. When searching an image on the new page, fact checkers will have access to other Google information as well, including when it was first indexed on Google, any online references of that image, an overview of the different topics associated with the image, and the evolution of these references over time.

Interested users can apply for beta tester approval. Google is also expanding Image Search functionality to its FactCheck Claim Search API, which will allow journalists and fact checkers to incorporate the search tool into their own fact-checking products.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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