{"id":14742,"date":"2022-02-18T14:24:08","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T14:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/18\/youtube-looking-at-new-ways-of-stopping-misinformation-from-spreading-online\/"},"modified":"2022-02-18T14:24:08","modified_gmt":"2022-02-18T14:24:08","slug":"youtube-looking-at-new-ways-of-stopping-misinformation-from-spreading-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/02\/18\/youtube-looking-at-new-ways-of-stopping-misinformation-from-spreading-online\/","title":{"rendered":"YouTube looking at new ways of stopping misinformation from spreading online"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In context:<\/strong> YouTube\u2019s 22.8 billion visitors per month make it the world\u2019s most popular website behind Google.com, which is what makes it such an enticing service for those spreading misinformation. It\u2019s something the Google-owned site has long tried to combat, and it is now making a renewed push at stopping these narratives. <\/p>\n

Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer at YouTube, wrote an extensive post<\/a> about tackling misinformation on the service. It focuses on three areas, the first of which is stopping these videos before they go viral. It classifies conspiracy theories such as claims 5G caused the spread of the coronavirus as an example of content that violates its guidelines, but some new narratives are too fresh to be caught by the company\u2019s systems. As such, YouTube will \u201cleverage an even more targeted mix of classifiers, keywords in additional languages, and information from regional analysts to identify narratives our main classifier doesn\u2019t catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

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YouTube’s four Rs of Responsibility<\/a><\/p>\n

The second area of concern is the sharing of misinformation across platforms. YouTube says it has lowered the number of recommendations it makes for \u201cborderline\u201d videos that don\u2019t quite warrant removal, but these are often promoted on other sites with links and embeds. The company has considered removing the share button or disabling links for these videos but worries that it may be going too far and restricting viewers\u2019 freedoms. It is also considering an interstitial warning that the clip may contain misinformation.<\/p>\n

Finally, YouTube is looking to better tackle misinformation in languages other than English. It notes that what\u2019s considered borderline content varies in each country. One option is to partner with non-governmental organizations to better understand regional and local misinformation.<\/p>\n

As with all internet platforms, YouTube must walk a fine line between banning anything it considers harmful and overextending its reach to the point where it\u2019s accused of censorship. “We need to be careful to balance limiting the spread of potentially harmful misinformation, while allowing space for discussion of and education about sensitive and controversial topics,” Mohan said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n