Google Rejects EU Fact-Checking Rules Under Digital Services Act, Effective 2025

Jan 19, 2025, 08:57 AM

Google has informed the European Union that it will not comply with the upcoming mandatory fact-checking requirements under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA aims to combat disinformation by requiring platforms to integrate third-party fact-checking into services like Google Search and YouTube. Despite having signed the EU's voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation in 2022, Google has announced its withdrawal from all fact-checking commitments before these become legally binding. In a letter to Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director General of the European Commission, Kent Walker, Google's Global Affairs President, stated that the fact-checking requirements are "not appropriate or effective" for Google's services. Instead, Google plans to enhance its existing content moderation tools, such as YouTube's contextual notes, Synth ID watermarking for AI-generated content, and other measures demonstrated during the 2024 global elections. This decision follows similar moves by Meta and X (formerly Twitter), which have reduced their fact-checking efforts. The EU has not yet finalized when the new rules will come into force, but they are expected to be implemented in 2025.