Google LLC-owned YouTube expects misinformation to arrive on the platform during the 2022 U.S. midterms, but it says it has a plan to limit the damage.

The obvious move will be to try to promote news coming from sources that have a good track record in terms of reliability. The company says its algorithm in search results will favor news sources such as PBS NewsHour, The Wall Street Journal, Univision and local ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates. The same will go for the side “watch next” panels.

One of the main concerns regarding misinformation is content that isn’t outright lies but what Google calls “borderline” content. The algorithm will also demote this kind of content, although it will still stay on the platform. Google said it will also show information panels in English and Spanish underneath videos to give people more context about the election.

On top of that, YouTube will provide more practical information relating to how to vote and how to register to vote. This information will be based on information from state election officials and related to where the user lives.

Google said it’s still dealing with misinformation on the platform that was posted after the 2020 presidential election, despite having a zero-tolerance attitude toward dubious content surrounding that election. It’s still removing content “that violated our election integrity policy by claiming widespread fraud, errors, or glitches occurred in the 2020 U.S. presidential election or alleging the election was stolen or rigged.” Google says it has also removed content recently related to the upcoming election, while some channels have been suspended.

What’s perhaps novel is that Google says it will also try to improve “media literacy skills,” which isn’t related only to the midterms or the U.S. The company will begin a campaign to help people understand when they are being manipulated or lied to, or when the channel they are watching might be “cherry-picking information.” This will first roll out in the U.S. but will expand globally in the future.

“As Election Day approaches, teams across YouTube and Google will continue to fine tune and improve upon all these efforts,” Google said. “We’re proud of the investments we’ve made to support elections, but know we need to stay vigilant and nimble in our approach.”

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