Google is suffering from an increasing backlash due to politically-charged fake news that is circulating in the internet. It is said that the company will change its advertising policies by prohibiting Adsense ads to appear in websites misinterpreting, misstating or concealing information about the publisher, the content as well as the main purpose of the site.
No more Adsense for fake news sites
The policy change was first reported in Wall Street Journal. The main purpose of the change in policy is to prevent fake news from affecting current events and shaping public opinion. This issue gained much attention during the U.S. Presidential election last week and Google immediately took an action with regard to it.
In addition to Google, Facebook is also garnering waves of criticisms due to fake news that are circulating on the social network. People claimed that Facebook is not doing well to avoid the spread of fake news on its platform.
Facebook also getting blamed for fake news
On the other hand, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company against critics pointing out that more than 99 percent of posts shared in Facebook are said to be authentic. He also denied the accusation that Facebook swayed the results of the U.S. election.
Yet not everyone agree, according to a report in BuzzFeed. Employees of Facebook joined hands to counter the narrative and suggested various steps in order for the company to prevent and avoid fake news.
Last Monday, Google was pressured when its search engine promoted an article which misinterpreted the presidential election's result. Due to this, the search company received massive criticism from users and Google has finally taken action.
There will be a significant blow to websites that are profiting on fake contents due to the decision of Google to change its Adsense policies according to a report in Variety. On the other hand, Facebook has updated its policies on advertising emphasizing that any fake news which contains contents that deceives or misleads will be banned by the social network.
