LONDON: Google is set to launch an anti-misinformation campaign across 5 countries in the European Union ahead of the bloc’s parliamentary elections and strict new rules tackling online content. In June, EU citizens will elect a new European Parliament to pass policies and laws in the bloc and lawmakers fear the spread of misinformation online could sway voters.
Poland, France, and Germany accused Russia on Monday of putting together an elaborate network of websites to spread pro-Russian propaganda. Europe’s Digital Services Act, which comes into force this week, will need very large online platforms and search engines to do more to deal with illegal content and risks to public security.
Google’s Strategy and Misinformation
From March, Google’s internal Jigsaw unit which operates to deal with threats to societies, will run a series of animated ads across platforms such as YouTube and TikTok in five EU countries: Germany, Italy, Belgium, France, and Poland, according to US media.
Building on previous campaigns Google has tested in Germany and central Europe, Jigsaw said the new project was an opportunity to reach citizens in nations with some of the largest number of voters in the region, utilizing the company’s local expertise.
The ads will feature so-called “prebunking” techniques, developed in partnership with researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, aimed at helping viewers identify manipulative content before encountering it.
Viewers watching the ads on YouTube will be asked to fill in a brief multiple-choice questionnaire, made to gauge what they have learned about misinformation.
In January, a probe conducted by the EEAS (European Union External Action Service) uncovered 750 incidents of misleading information being deliberately disseminated by foreign actors, many voicing support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The drive will run for at least one month, with a view to extend it based on performance and reach. Results from the campaign, including the number of people reached and survey responses, are likely to be published in summer 2024.
