Co-founder of ZC Social Media company Zoe Cairns said that they [Google staff] are not going to touch anything that’s posted unless the type of things that broadcasters are sharing belongs to "repetitive, exploitative, false and weaponized info". Cairns didn’t think the measure could actually stop RT and Sputnik from pursuing their line of broadcasting.
"It’s freedom of speech and the freedom that we have to decide what is false and what is real […] is about being fair."
Cairns said the initiative boils down to making sure that monitoring of who has put up false news takes place, as false news is supposed to be highlighted. "It’s better to bring that up that way rather than that you are put under a penalty".
"People don’t want to keep reading false news," Cairns pointed out.
"People believe it and start sharing it. It’s also making sure that on due date they’ll be aware that what they are sharing and what they are reading in the news is true."
Commenting on the way the algorithm will further evolve, she said the tech giant is more likely "to put something really tight in place" than "actually monitor".
"If the news is highlighted as false or fake news it [the search engine]starts to blacklist that particular broadcaster", says Cairns. Still, there could also be a notification that any source of news that comes from this broadcaster could be potentially unreliable. This is where the algorithm will prove to be effective, Cairns argued.
Answering the anchorman’s question whether the Alphabet chief most likely favored censorship, she said that the de-ranking system that he’s referring to solely involves him "giving everyone a fair chance to broadcast."
"However, if you do put up false or fake news you’ll start to be highlighted, and this is how it’s going to affect your ranking in Google."
READ MORE: Fake or Not Fake? Google Out to Determine What News is Real — Expert
