Google should improve fight against disinformation-Civil Rights Audit
2023.03.04 01:51
Google should improve fight against disinformation-Civil Rights Audit
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – Following pressure from advocates to hold such a review, Google released an audit on Friday that examined how its policies and services affected civil rights and recommended the tech giant take measures to combat misinformation and hate speech.
The Washington Post had earlier reported on Friday that Google (NASDAQ:) had made the disclosure. enlisted the help of an outside law firm to look into civil rights. The assessment was carried out by WilmerHale, a law firm.
The report, which was made public on Friday, suggested that YouTube, Google, and other companies with hate speech and harassment policies “adapt to changing norms regarding protected groups” and address issues like the deliberate misgendering or deadnaming of individuals.
The review also stated that rather than relying on translation, the company should make sure that employees who speak a foreign language are more involved in enforcement actions to better combat election-related misinformation.
The review also stated that Google should think about developing additional metrics to monitor the speed and efficiency with which it removes advertisements containing election-related false information. These metrics could include imposing greater penalties or a permanent suspension for repeat offenders.
“We are dedicated to continuous improvement, which includes strengthening our approaches to civil and human rights.” “We conducted and released a voluntary civil rights audit of our policies, practices, and products to help guide us,” said Google’s head of civil rights in an email statement on Friday.
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have made the claim that major tech companies like Google don’t give rights issues enough importance in recent years.
Amnesty International stated in a 2019 report on Google and Facebook (NASDAQ:) that “the companies’ surveillance-based business model is inherently incompatible with the right to privacy and poses a threat to a range of other rights including freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of thought, and the right to equality and non-discrimination.”