Four Google Efforts To Overcome Misinformation In Asia-Pacific

Google is eradicating misinformation in its search engine (photo: dock. Google)

JAKARTA Digitalization makes information more accessible. Google realizes that this development is very important for the public so that the availability of information must be considered. Unfortunately, the information available on online platforms is not always true and the public must sort out the content on the internet. To address content that leads to misinformation, Google has four ways that make it easier for people in Asia-Pacific. First, Google presents more literacy information tools such as the About This Image and About These Results. This tool will provide context on images, provide image history information, or how a website is covered in the news. This feature is supported by many languages so users from around the world can find out the origins of the content they find. So far, literacy information tools are available in English, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and much more. Next, Google cooperates with Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in launching the Safer Internet Lab (SAIL). This program was launched in 2022 and based in Jakarta to conduct research around misinformation.

Over the years, this program has continued to be deployed. In fact, Google is taking advantage of this program to tackle misinformation before the election is held in February. The success of this program will be extended to all countries in Southeast Asia. In addition to launching SAL, Google is also running Google News Initiatives to support journalists in various countries. So far, Google has trained more than 222,000 journalists and assisted the media in displaying quality information. Finally, Google provides grants to various organizations that support information eradication efforts. Through Google.org, the company has helped the ASEAN Foundation, Cyberpeace Foundation, Japan Fact-Check Center (JFC), and Mafindo.