ISLAMABAD: As Pakistanis prepare to vote in the National election to elect representatives for the National Assembly (NA) and Provincial Assemblies (PAs) on February 8, Google has committed to collaborating with the government, industry, and civil society to provide voters with helpful and authoritative information while keeping its platforms safe from misuse.
In a Press release issued on Thursday, Google stated, “We understand that as elections approach, people seek valuable and pertinent information to guide them through the electoral process. We facilitate easy access to reliable information through helpful product features, showcasing data from reputable, nonpartisan organizations on voting procedures and locations across our platforms.”
Google’s algorithms are structured to prioritize trustworthy information and offer context to users regarding various election-related matters. Furthermore, the Google homepage will feature links directing voters to authoritative resources on ‘how to vote’ and ‘how to register to vote.’
For election-related news and information, YouTube’s recommendation system will prominently display content and pertinent context from authoritative sources, including local and national news outlets, on the homepage, in search results, and the “Up Next” panel, thereby connecting users with high-quality election news and information.
To aid the media and the public in understanding voter concerns in this election, Google has introduced a Google Trends page, a tool that highlights the top queries, topics, and interests regarding the parties contesting in the elections. The page also presents data on the most searched election-related topics in each region of the country, offering valuable insights into public interests.
Google will conduct a series of workshops to empower journalists with the necessary resources for informed news coverage during elections, including training on tools for news verification, digital security, and utilizing Google Trends.
Farhan Qureshi, Google’s Country Director for Pakistan, remarked, “In the lead-up to the election, we have directed our efforts towards aiding Pakistanis who are expected to cast their votes by facilitating access to relevant and beneficial election-related information online. We have also made investments in the news ecosystem and provided training to journalists and newsrooms on delivering authoritative and credible news ahead of the election cycle. Recently, we introduced a Google Trends Pakistan General Election page to streamline access to this data for media purposes.”
Google and YouTube maintain longstanding policies to ensure platform safety, especially during elections. YouTube’s Community Guidelines encompass measures against hate speech, harassment, incitement to violence, technically manipulated content, and certain types of election misinformation. Both platforms employ a combination of machine learning and human reviewers to detect and remove content that violates their policies.
Qureshi added, “Maintaining election integrity is paramount for YouTube, and we have been diligent in establishing the appropriate policies and systems to support the country’s elections. Alongside providing users with authoritative and quality information, we swiftly remove violative content with the assistance of machine learning and trained reviewers. Our objective is to strike a balance between safeguarding our community from harm and fostering a diversity of viewpoints on YouTube.”
Google’s mission is to make the world’s information accessible and beneficial, and the company remains committed to presenting and linking voters to authoritative and valuable information online. —APP
