Google says its Autocomplete feature will stay neutral in the 2020 election
Autocomplete, a Google Search feature that uses prediction algorithms to suggest search queries as you type them, will stay neutral leading up to the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
In a blog post outlining the latest changes to its Search and News products, Google explained that all text predictions that could be interpreted as claims for or against any political party or candidate will be removed from Autocomplete.
Also, predictions that could be interpreted as claims about participation in the election, or the integrity or legitimacy of the election, will be removed. Google's examples for this are claims such as "you can vote by phone" or "you can't vote by phone," as well as predictions that say "donate to" any party or candidate.
Note that you can still search for anything on Google about the election and will get the results as before, you just won't get help from Autocomplete.
Google also said it has developed its own Intelligence Desk, a team that "actively monitors and identifies potential information threats," including information related to natural disasters, breaking news, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company also says it has increased its detection time for breaking news to just a few minutes, down from 40 minutes a few years ago.
Finally, Google says it has expanded partnerships with government agencies, health organizations, and Wikipedia to provide more accurate information within its knowledge panels, which display extra information on certain topics such as COVID-19 and the elections.
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Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
