Conspiracy theories and misinformation used to be relatively harmless affairs, like stories about Bigfoot, faked moon landings and government cover-ups of UFOs. But times have changed.
What can be done to combat the growing misinformation about X?
Modern disinformation efforts are attempting to disrupt the political process or further complicate the already complicated COVID-19 pandemic, and they’re spreading like wildfire across social media. But YouTube just announced a series of new steps to curb disinformation on its platform, according to a blog post from the company.
The mega-popular streaming platform is taking a three-pronged approach to combating misinformation. It starts with an improved machine-learning algorithm to catch offensive content before it has a chance to spread. YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan says they’ll also offer videos on certain topics with fact checkboxes.
Then there’s the issue of limiting the sharing of this misinformation across platforms. As you know, Google owns YouTube, and links and embeds of controversial videos are tricky problems to address. Mohan says they’re experimenting with a few solutions, including adding interstitials or warnings to certain videos and restricting sharing of others. However, the company is aware that balancing public safety with freedom of speech is an ever-evolving concept.
