Google proactive on virus searches

On Feb. 28, questions about the coronavirus swirled around Google’s offices. The company was being criticized for YouTube’s handling of hoax videos, a major company conference was canceled and an employee in Zurich, Switzerland, tested positive.

In the midst of this, Chief Executive Sundar Pichai sent a memo reminding thousands of his workers about Google’s important role as a provider of timely and accurate information in uncertain times.

“You’ve heard me talk about helpfulness in the context of moments big and small. This is one of those big moments,” he wrote.

Since COVID-19 began to spread, Google has aggressively intervened in some of its most popular online services to limit the spread of misinformation. This is a departure for a company that has relied heavily on software and automation to index and rank information throughout its 22-year existence.

Google searches related to the virus now trigger an “SOS Alert,” with news from mainstream publications including National Public Radio, followed by information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization displayed prominently.

The coronavirus has killed more than 4,200 people out of 119,000 confirmed cases. Online platforms have been inundated with rumors and misinformed concerns about the pathogen as it spread west from Asia, particularly in floods of messages on Twitter, said Carl Bergstrom, a professor at the University of Washington.

On YouTube, Google’s video service, the company is trying to quickly remove videos claiming to prevent the virus in place of seeking medical treatment. And some apps related to the virus have been banned from the Google Play store.