YouTube Improves Clamps On Misleading Vids Across Cultures Before They Go Viral
YouTube has just announced some new steps it will be taking to tackle the spread of potentially harmful misinformation.
In this three-tiered approach, the video streaming platform is aiming to strike a balance between keeping the community safe and maintaining freedom of speech, according to a blog post written by Neal Mohan, the chief product officer of YouTube.
First, more machine learning will be implemented to catch the offending content before it has a chance to go viral, which, these days, can happen in an instant.
“The fresher the misinfo, the fewer examples we have to train our systems,” Mohan explains. “To address this, we’re continuously training our system on new data.”
An “even more targeted mix” of keywords, including in languages other than English, and information from regional analysts will be used to “identify narratives our main classifier doesn’t catch.”
Secondly, the firm is experimenting with limiting the sharing options across other social platforms. Some of the methods in testing include adding a disclaimer “warning viewers there’s a lack of high-quality information,” or providing “fact check boxes” in videos.
The last tier focuses on expanding efforts to cover areas worldwide, being aware of the cultures of different countries and how public broadcasters may be viewed differently depending on which country the viewer is in.
Machine learning will come in handy here too, being able to learn regional nuances to detect misinformation while taking cultural differences into account.
“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 reiterates.
Late last year, the platform also introduced a site-wide ban on videos containing fake information on vaccines, including those not related to COVID-19.
[via Lifewire and YouTube, image via AngieYeoh / Shutterstock.com]
