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.

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

Google rejects EU's fact-checking requirements for search and YouTube, defying new disinformation rules. Google has reportedly told the EU it won’t add fact-checking to search results or YouTube videos, nor will it use fact-checks to influence rankings or remove content. This decision defies new EU rules aimed at tackling disinformation.

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

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.

Two of America’s Big Tech companies are opening the door to more “free expression,” even if it means more hateful content. But in Europe, Big Tech companies are voluntarily cracking down.

The pushback comes as the emboldened leaders of US tech companies, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, have been courting President-elect Donald Trump, with Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg urging him directly to combat EU regulatory enforcement.

The Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online should help platforms comply with the Digital Services Act.View on euronews

Tech giants will also take measures, such as the use of automatic detection tools to reduce hate speech on their platforms

Google has always resisted the idea of using fact-checking as part of its content moderation strategy, and it’s sticking to that stance. According to Google, the new requirements are not a good fit for its services,

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has formally launched an antitrust investigation into Apple and Google's strategic market status.