'Google has put a ban on misleading videos and ads on Coronavirus': Sundar Pichai

Sundar Pichai, Alphabet and Google CEO, recently said that the company has taken down thousands of misleading videos related to the Coronavirus pandemic using its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technology. The CEO also mentioned in his blog post that they have blocked numerous ads attempting to gain profit from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Google bans thousands of misleading videos and ads related to the Coronavirus pandemic

On Monday, Sundar Pichai revealed in his blog post that Google has put a temporary ban on all ads for medical masks and respirators. He also mentioned that Google continues to remove Coronavirus videos that promote medically unproven methods to prevent coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment. He said that the automated and manual review systems on Google Maps continue to take down false and harmful content, including fake reviews and misinformation about healthcare locations.

The Alphabet's CEO's blog post explained the seriousness of Google in tackling misinformation, misconception and myths related to the Coronavirus pandemic.  

Also Read | Facebook, Twitter, Google say 'jointly combating' COVID-19 misinformation

Currently, Google has also said that the coronavirus tracking and screening website will be delayed. The announcement of the tracking website was made by the U.S. President Donald Trump in a news conference. The online portal to track COVID-19 is being built by Google’s subsidiary Verily. 

In a statement made by Google, the company said it will continue to work with agencies and authorities to roll out the website "later this week" so that people can make have relevant information and other tracking facilities on screening and testing available at their disposal. 

Also Read | Google admits working with US govt for coronavirus website after denying Trump's claim 

Google's  initiative on spreading true information about the Coronavirus pandemic

Sundar Pichai also spoke about Google's recent initiatives on spreading legit information about the Coronavirus pandemic. He talked about the Google Homepage promoting the ‘Do the Five’ to make people aware of the simple measures that they can take to slow the spread of the disease, as per the WHO guidelines.

What is ‘Do the Five’? 

The World Health Organisation lists down five important things to do to prevent the spread of the virus -

1. Wash hands often
2. Cough into the elbow
3. Don't touch the face
4. Stay more than 3 feet apart from people
5. If you feel sick, stay home

Also Read | Donald Trump says Google claims validated, demands apology from US media at press briefing  

The CEO also mentioned the initiatives taken by other platforms like YouTube in his blog post. He said that they are using the home page to direct users to videos from the CDC on YouTube. They are directing the searches to local authority information videos and highlighting content from such sources when people search for COVID-19.

Also Read | Google engineers helping to build self-check website for coronavirus: Donald Trump