If YouTube had previously banned anti-vaccine content, Google is now taking measures against those publishers and advertisers who deny climate change. The moderation used by the two digital platforms has been strongly criticized, but it is clear that they will not tolerate misinformation.
Google announced on Thursday that the content that will deny the well-established scientific researches and evidence on climate change will not be allowed. Pages and videos that promote information against climate change, denying long-term consequences will not gain any profit or monetization. These actions are coherent with the newly adopted policies by Google on sustainability, such as Google Maps’ eco routes that aim to reach sustainable actions.
Numerous have been the critiques by the US Congress and climate activists about the search ads bought by climate change deniers. According to nonprofit organization Avaaz, in 2020 the misleading videos received 21 million views. However, since November stronger actions will be done by the giant tech to avoid misleading information and monetization coming from it. Only the research sources considered reliable will be allowed to monetize on the platform.
