Tech

Google CEO: 'I feel the pain' every time we publish fake news

Key Points
  • Pichai said he views it as a "big responsibility" to get it right even though the company often stumbles.
  • Google was criticized this week for failing to weed out fake news after the Las Vegas shooting.
  • The Verge interview follows a series of product releases by Google.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
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Google CEO Sundar Pichai said his company should be held accountable for combating the spread of fake news.

"I view it as a big responsibility to get it right," Pichai told the Verge in an interview published Wednesday. "I think we'll be able to do these things better over time. But I think the answer to your question, the short answer and the only answer, is we feel huge responsibility."

Google was criticized earlier this week for failing to weed out fake news following the Las Vegas shooting that left 59 dead and over 500 injured. In the hours immediately following the tragedy, a 4Chan article naming the wrong suspect appeared in Google search results.

"Today, we overwhelmingly get it right," Pichai said. Every time we make a mistake, "I feel the pain, and I think we should be held accountable," he said.

Internet giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter have come under pressure recently to crack down on fake news after Russian groups tried to influence last year's U.S. election. Some have started calling for greater regulation.

The Verge interview follows a series of product releases by Google.

Read the Verge's full interview here.

Reporting from the Financial Times was used in this report.

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