Recent days and weeks have been challenging for our industry, our customers, and our employees.
As our CEO Sundar Pichai wrote on Friday, COVID-19 is affecting our communities in different ways. Many in Europe and the Americas are just now beginning to experience what people in Asia have been confronting for weeks, he noted.
We’re operating in an increasingly dynamic market. People around the world are looking for helpful advice and accurate information. For example, searches for “travel advice” or “flight status” are rising. We’ve also seen people’s searches shift to immediate needs.
We know you’re eager to understand how we’re protecting our users and our platforms in this fast-changing environment. “Our Trust and Safety team has been working around the clock and across the globe to safeguard our users from phishing, conspiracy theories, malware, and misinformation, and we are constantly on the lookout for new threats,” Pichai wrote. “On YouTube, we are working to quickly remove any content that claims to prevent the coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment. On Google Ads, we are blocking all ads capitalizing on the coronavirus, and we’ve blocked tens of thousands of ads over the last six weeks. We are also helping WHO and government organizations run PSA ads.”
Google has also rolled out free access to our advanced Hangouts Meet video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite customers globally through July 1, 2020. And we’re working to support increased demand for public livestreaming on YouTube. Pichai noted that there has been an increased interest in regions affected by COVID-19 as people look to connect virtually with their communities.
“This is an unprecedented moment,” Pichai wrote. “It’s important that we approach it with a sense of calm and responsibility — because we have many people counting on us.”
It’s important that we approach it with a sense of calm and responsibility — because we have many people counting on us.
That’s true of Google, and it’s also true of our industry. In the coming days and weeks, Think with Google will work to provide content and insights that can help you navigate this dynamic environment, as well as support your business and your teams.