Janice R. Andrews
As an important election nears in the US, Google is stepping up its efforts to make sure people get accurate information. The tech giant stated new election-related safety measures for its platforms, such as YouTube, Google Search, Google Play, and products that are powered by AI. These measures build on measures that were released in late 2023.
YouTube is adding information screens about some federal election candidates above search results. These screens will probably look a lot like the ones you see when you search for famous people online. They will show important information about candidates, like what group they belong to, and give people a link to Google Search for more information. The panels may also have a link to the candidate’s main website or other outlets. As Election Day, November 5, gets closer, YouTube’s home page will show messages about how and where to vote.
The company is adding voter registration tools to Google Search that come from state election offices. Google has teamed up with Democracy Works, a neutral charity, to get this information. This way, users will always have access to accurate information about voters.
The Google Play Store is also helping with these plans. It will add a new badge that lets people know when an app comes from a real government body. According to Google’s developer help documents, this badge will only show up on apps that have met certain standards. A clear visual mark on the Play Store will show that an app is officially endorsed by the government if it shares government information.
Google is also putting more limits on creative AI when it comes to the election. This is to address worries about the spread of false information. These changes include content labels for AI-made materials, notices for ads made by AI, and integrated SynthID digital watermarking for text, audio, images, and videos made by AI. These safety measures will be used for many Google services, like Search AI Overviews, YouTube AI-generated summaries, and custom apps that follow directions made by users.
With these changes, Google hopes to give people clear and correct information as they go through the 2024 election season.
