Google has informed the European Union that it will not implement fact checks in its search results or YouTube videos, nor will it use them to rank or remove content. This decision defies the expectations set by a new EU law.
The tech giant has never included fact-checking in its content moderation practices. While Google previously signaled its position to EU lawmakers privately, it is now formally reaffirming its stance as a voluntary code transitions into binding legislation.
In a letter addressed to Renate Nikolay, the deputy director general for content and technology at the European Commission, Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, explained the company’s reasoning. He stated that the fact-checking requirements under the Commission’s new Disinformation Code of Practice are “simply not appropriate or effective for our services” and confirmed Google’s refusal to comply.
The code would mandate Google to integrate fact-check results alongside its search results and YouTube videos. It would also require the company to incorporate fact-checking into its ranking systems and algorithms. Walker defended Google’s current content moderation practices, citing their success during last year’s “unprecedented cycle of global elections” as evidence of their effectiveness.
Walker also highlighted a feature added to YouTube last year, which allows certain users to add contextual notes to videos. He praised the feature, saying it has “significant potential,” drawing comparisons to X’s Community Notes and a similar program announced recently by Meta.
The EU’s Code of Practice on Disinformation, introduced in 2018 and expanded in 2022, outlines voluntary commitments for tech firms and fact-checking organizations. The European Commission has been working to convert these voluntary measures into an official code of conduct under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which became law in 2022.
Despite these efforts, Walker stated that Google had already informed the Commission of its decision not to comply. He emphasized that the company plans to withdraw from all fact-checking commitments under the Code before it becomes part of the DSA.
Last week, Meta announced it would scale back fact-checking efforts and reduce speech policing across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Similarly, Elon Musk has significantly reduced content moderation on X since taking over the platform in 2022.
