Google is updating its search engine to cut down on misleading snippets and improve the ways people educate by adding more contextual information. In other words, Google is stepping up efforts to eliminate misinformation in its amazing search service.
Snippets are the text you see at the top of the search results page and are designed to respond quickly. Although sources have been included to back up the information, there seem to have been cases where excerpts have stated a source that contradicts common scientific consensus. Which is possibly the biggest change in the update (opens in a new tab)featured excerpts will contain information based on “multiple high-quality sources”.
The improved snippets will be backed by an artificial intelligence from Google called United Multitasking Model (MUM). The AI will actively check the featured snippets and compare this information with other sources to see if they all match or if changes are needed. Google claims that this “technique has significantly improved the quality and usefulness …” of the featured snippets.
Skipping disinformation
MUM will also help combat misleading information by not displaying excerpts for unanswered questions or which are considered “false assumptions”. Google offers a strange user scenario looking for the day Snoopy of Peanuts assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. This has never happened so it is not possible to inform the user exactly and may result in a confusing excerpt or give a bad impression.
The company acknowledges that occasions where a search engine creates misleading snippets are rare, but do happen. He wants to prevent this situation in a preventive manner. Google says snippets of claims based on these “false assumptions” have already dropped 40 percent as part of the update.
Add context
Other changes to Google Search affect page information and content recommendations.
Information This feature will now let you know how widespread the source is, reviews of the source, whether it is owned by the parent company, and if any information is missing. Google says all of this is important to provide context. The search function is also supported in eight other languages that will be launched later this year. Language support includes Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, and Indonesian.
Content advice extends beyond compiling news to include results of questionable quality and sources. The announcement makes it clear that this does not mean that there is no good or bad information for the search query. This is just a reminder to be more skeptical of the things you will find on this page.
The release date of the update has not been disclosed but may be soon. When we checked Google on computer and mobile, we did not notice any differences: no new content advice or About this page. We asked Google when people can expect changes. This story will be updated if we get a reply.
Google is working hard to combat disinformation in its search engine. In the last questions and answersPublic Liaison for Search revealed that the Google search engine reduced the number of irrelevant results by more than 50 percent. And recently, the tech giant revealed that it is making big changes to the Google Play Store to get rid of annoying ads and spoofing. Be sure to check our coverage.