Google announced its intention Thursday to flout European Union standards for digital fact-checking, opting not to build an internal department to moderate and verify YouTube content despite requirements from a new law.

After Mark Zuckerberg's big announcement that Meta will no longer fact check, Google is also sending a message to the European Union: The search giant is opting out of a new EU law that requires fact checks.

Google has officially rejected the European Union 's (EU) demand to include fact-checks in its Search results and YouTube videos. The tech giant also said it will not modify or remove content based on fact-checking results, Axios reported.

New EU regulations call for Google to include fact-checking results alongside Google and Youtube searches. Google is refusing to meet the guidelines.

Other signatories to the voluntary code set up in May 2016 are Dailymotion, Instagram, Jeuxvideo.com, LinkedIn, Microsoft hosted consumer services, Snapchat, Rakuten Viber, TikTok and Twitch

The world’s biggest social media firms, Meta, Google, TikTok, and X, have committed to stepping up efforts to block illegal hate speech on the internet under a new voluntary agreement with the regulators of the EU. It comes as companies look to show compliance with the EU’s detailed digital regulation package: the Digital Services Act.

Top tech companies like X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have signed a voluntary commitment to make efforts to prevent illegal hate speech (as defined by European Union laws) on their platforms in the EU.

Major tech firms, including Meta and Google, have committed to enhanced measures against online hate speech under a revised code of conduct aligned with the EU’s Digital Services Act. This initiative emphasizes accountability and transparency in monitoring hate speech.

Google snubs EU's voluntary code of practice on disinformation before it becomes legally binding under the Digital Services Act

Meta's Facebook, Elon Musk's X, Google's YouTube and other tech companies have agreed to do more to tackle online hate speech under an updated code of conduct that will now be integrated into EU tech rules, the European Commission said on Monday.

If the trend becomes entrenched, the Commission would need to reconsider its fact-checking demands, a source told Euractiv