YouTube Extends Fact Checking To The US To Combat Fake Coronavirus Information

Alphabet Inc. GOOGL GOOG subsidiary YouTube is expanding its "fact check information panel" feature to the United States, the company announced Tuesday.

What Happened

The panel, which displays texts and links from third-party fact-checkers, was launched in Brazil and India last year.

YouTube's expansion of the feature in the U.S. comes as health authorities struggle to combat misinformation in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

"The outbreak of COVID-19 and its spread around the world has reaffirmed how important it is for viewers to get accurate information during fast-moving events," YouTube said in a statement.

The fact check panel could be triggered by search terms such as "coronavirus and ibuprofen," or "COVID-19 is a bio-weapon."

The panel will only be displayed if users search for a specific query like "did a tornado hit Los Angeles," and not just if they search "tornado," YouTube said.

It's not immediately clear how many search terms currently trigger the panel, but YouTube said, "it will take some time for our systems to fully ramp up."

"Our systems will become more accurate, and over time, we'll roll this feature out to more countries," the video-sharing platform maker added.

According to YouTube, "over a dozen" U.S. publishers are currently participating in the program, including The Dispatch, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post Fact Checker.

To participate, a fact checker must be a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) code of principles or an "authoritative publisher" under its guidelines.

YouTube is also giving IFCN $1 million as part of the Google News Initiative, it said.

Price Action

Alphabet Class A shares traded nearly 8% higher at $1,232.59 in the after-hours session on Tuesday, after the company reported first-quarter results.

The shares had dropped 3% in the regular session at $1,232.59. Class C shares similarly surged in the after-hours session at $1,328.00, after closing the regular session 3.3% lower at $1,233.67.