A labor dispute between Reddit and its forum moderators immediately spilled onto another tech platform, affecting Google users enough that the popular search engine acknowledged it at an “all-hands” meeting. According to CNBC, Google’
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Truth or Fiction?→ In a Friday News Dump, YouTube Announces Election Disinformation Policy Changes
On June 2 2023, a Reddit user shared a post claiming that YouTube altered a policy and was no longer restricting false claims about the 2020 election in the United States: YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidenti
Truth or Fiction?→ California Bill Supporting Journalists Passes Amid Facebook ‘Bullying Threat’
A bill that would impose a fee on tech platforms like Facebook for scraping and disseminating news stories passed in the California state assembly on June 1 2023 — despite an industry threat. Assembly Bill 886 (AB 886), a.k.a. the California Jour
Logically→ Inauthentic images falsely claim Google creates Doodles for all religious holidays but Easter
Poynter→ $12 million Global Fact Check Fund opens applications for first grants
St. Petersburg, Fla. (April 14, 2023) – The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the nonprofit Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalistic excellence, in partnership with Google and YouTube, […] The post $12 million Globa
Truth or Fiction?→ Google Maps ‘Shooting in Nashville’ Marker
Following the March 27 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, a purported Google Maps screenshot referencing the incident was shared to Reddit’s r/ABoringDystopia: Dystopian Maps Alert. Welcome to the US. by u/take
Logically→ Google suppressed its search for “died suddenly” to hide information about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
Google is not hiding any facts; the disclaimer is a way to show that the information is evolving and is a method to combat misinformation.
Climate Feedback→ Google’s demonetization of misinformation: one year on
Back in December 2021, Science Feedback conducted a quick check on the extent to which Google’s then-new policy on demonetizing climate change denial content was enforced. Our study focused on videos published on Youtube. We first found that Google�
Logically→ Google Earth shows a sunken plane off the coast of the Bahamas.
The image is not proof of a plane crash and is likely to be an image capture of a live plane caught by satellites.
Snopes→ Is the Bill Clinton ‘Sickness’ Photo Real?
A picture of former U.S. President Bill Clinton showed up in an online ad with the caption, "His Sickness Is So Obvious Now."
Snopes→ Is Gmail ‘Actively Suppressing’ Emails from Republicans?
Or could it be a simple switch of spam settings?
Snopes→ PureKana CBD Gummies Reviews on Google Are Fake
We looked at a number of sponsored content articles that posed as "reviews" for PureKana CBD Gummies that included misleading mentions of the "Shark Tank" TV show.
Snopes→ EU Agrees on New Digital Rules to Rein in Big Tech Dominance
The European Union set the stage for a stepped-up crackdown on big tech companies with an agreement on landmark digital rules to rein in online “gatekeepers" such as Google and Facebook parent Meta.
Snopes→ Lawsuit Says Google Discriminates Against Black Workers
A former Google employee sued the tech giant for racial discrimination, saying it engages in a “pattern and practice” of unfair treatment for its Black workers.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘8 Googling Tips’ Twitter Thread
An August 28 2021 Twitter thread by Chris Hladczuk (@chrishlad) described “8 Googling tips you probably didn’t know” — and in addition to the thread’s popularity in tweet form, it also was virally popular on Facebook and i
Truth or Fiction?→ YouTube Reverses Course, Reinstates Watchdog Site Monitoring Conspiracists
The media watchdog site Right Wing Watch (RWW) was reinstated onto YouTube after the platform initially removed its channel on June 28 2021 for unspecified reasons. “We are glad that by reinstating our account, YouTube recognizes our position tha
Snopes→ Do Spouses of Deceased Google Employees Collect Half Their Salary?
And do the former tech workers' children receive $1,000 monthly?
Snopes→ France Fines Google $268M for Unfair Online Ads Treatment
Practices used by Google “are particularly serious because they penalize Google’s competitors” in certain markets and publishers of mobile sites and applications, the statement by France's Competition Authority said.
Snopes→ Was ‘How To Hit a Woman So No One Knows’ Googled 163M Times in 2020?
A researcher looking into the trend said the purported findings shocked her.
Snopes→ Will Google Maps Stop Showing Fastest Routes by Default?
Google Maps will be adding a new feature, but things won't be dramatically changing in the app.
Snopes→ Lawmakers Call YouTube Kids a ‘Wasteland of Vapid’ Content
A House subcommittee says the Google-owned video service feeds children inappropriate material so it can serve them ads.
Poynter→ Factually: Tech CEOs (again) asked to explain themselves
Factually is a newsletter about fact-checking and misinformation from Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network. Sign up here to receive it on your email every Thursday. Tech CEOs are back in the hot seat As the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter and Goog
Poynter→ Today: snippets of code for Google News; tomorrow: academic research and maybe a Grandpa Alert
There’s a hidden bit of code that’s been quietly helping counter misinformation around the world. Few people know about it — but fact-checkers in 56 countries have now used this tagging system, known as ClaimReview, more than 100,000 times to hel
Hoax-Slayer→ How to Automatically Monitor the Web for Topics That Interest You
Writers, journalists, and bloggers don’t typically produce good work in a vacuum. Pertinent, up-to-date information is crucial to our craft. The post How to Automatically Monitor the Web for Topics That Interest You appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Truth or Fiction?→ How to Fight Disinformation: Introduction and Overview
This is the first of a series about how communities can fight back and protect themselves against weaponized disinformation. In 2015 and 2016, new and paranoid strains of political ideology took social media discourse by storm. The details varied by c
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘We Add New Photos’ — Google Photos Scam Email
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay This email, which appears to have been sent by Google Photos, claims that new photos have… The post ‘We Add New Photos’ — Google Photos Scam Email appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Truth or Fiction?→ Do You Need to Disable COVID-19 Contact Tracing on Your Phone?
In mid-May 2020, the following status update screenshot circulated on Facebook, urging people with iPhones (and possibly Android devices) to “turn off … exposure COVID notifications” via a series of directions in settings: It’
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Photo Has Been Successfully Published’ Scam Email
According to this email, your photo has been successfully published on Google Photos. The email includes a link that supposedly opens a Google Photos album with the newly published image. The post ‘Photo Has Been Successfully Published’
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Files Successfully Published’ Google Drive Scam Email
This email, which looks like it was sent by Google, claims that your 'files has (sic) been successfully published' on Google Drive. The post ‘Files Successfully Published’ Google Drive Scam Email appeared first on Hoax-Slayer.
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘3 Broken Emails’ Spam – Fake Google Notification Messages
According to this email, which purports to be from the Google Notification Service, "3 broken emails has been found and recovered" within your account. The post ‘3 Broken Emails’ Spam – Fake Google Notification Messages appeared fir
Truth or Fiction?→ Google ‘Untreated Syphilis’ Meme
In late January 2020, a Twitter meme circulated that urged fellow users to Google “untreated syphilis” — a search phrase which purportedly returned images of or links to United States President Donald Trump: This is currently what
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Explain Us About this Unusual Activity’ Phishing Email
Some scam attempts are so poorly executed that they are almost entertaining. This rather lame attempt to steal your Google Account login details fits into that category. The post ‘Explain Us About this Unusual Activity’ Phishing Email appea
Snopes→ Google Reins in Political Advertising
Google is making political ads harder to target at specific types of people.
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Chrome’s Reopen Closed Tab Gone?
If “Reopen Closed Tab” has disappeared from your Chrome browser, you’re not alone — a number of posts on Facebook and Twitter appeared as people saw the function began vanishing from their drop-down menus: Uhhhh Chrome is removin
Snopes→ Apple Commits $2.5B to Combat California Housing Crisis
The sum from Apple eclipses pledges by fellow Silicon Valley giants Google and Facebook for addressing the lack of affordable housing in a region where affluent tech workers have helped drive up the cost of homes.
Snopes→ Big Tech Faces a New Set of Foes: Nearly All 50 US States
In a rare show of bipartisan force, attorneys general from 48 states along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are investigating whether Google's huge online search and advertising business is engaging in monopolistic behavior.
Snopes→ Facebook, Google Face Antitrust Scrutiny from States
Two bipartisan groups of state attorneys general are launching separate antitrust investigations into Facebook and Google, adding to regulatory scrutiny of two of the world's largest and most ubiquitous tech companies.
Hoax-Slayer→ ‘Award Promotion by Google’ Advance Fee Scam
This email, which purports to be from Google CEO Sundar Pichai, claims that you have won £950,000, a laptop, and other prizes in a Google 'Award Promotion'. The post ‘Award Promotion by Google’ Advance Fee Scam appeared first on Hoax-S
Snopes→ Human Workers Can Listen to Google Assistant Recordings
Google says contractors listen to recordings to better understand language patterns and accents.
Hoax-Slayer→ Google Drive ‘File is Pending Approval’ Scam Emails
These fake Google Drive emails, which feature the Google Drive logo, claim that a file is pending approval and urge you to take action by clicking a button. The post Google Drive ‘File is Pending Approval’ Scam Emails appeared first on Ho