Google ($GOOGL) Defies EU's DSA, Refuses Fact-Checking on Search and YouTube

Jan 16, 2025, 03:20 PM

Google ($GOOGL) has informed the European Union that it will not incorporate fact-checking into its search results or YouTube videos, nor will it use fact checks to rank or remove content, despite the requirements of a new EU law aimed at combating disinformation. This decision was communicated in a letter to Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General for Content and Technology at the European Commission, by Kent Walker, Google's president of global affairs. Walker argued that fact-checking is 'simply not appropriate or effective' for Google's services. This move comes after Meta announced it would end its fact-checking operations, shifting towards community-driven content moderation. Google's stance is seen as a direct challenge to the EU's 'Code of Practice on Disinformation,' established in 2018 and set to become part of the Digital Services Act (DSA), making compliance mandatory.