YouTube is said to be one of the biggest vectors of online misinformation in the world and is not doing enough to combat the spread of false information on its platform.
This is what a global coalition of 80 fact-checking organizations denounces in a letter published on January 12 on Poynter.
YouTube, accomplice of misinformation?
This joint letter addressed to Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, names the Google-owned platform as "one of the main vectors of online misinformation and false information in the world". Among the signatories are PolitiFact, The Washington Post, Africa Check, Maldita.es, or even the British charity Full Fact, according to which YouTube does not do enough to tackle the problem of misinformation and allows "to unscrupulous actors to use its platform as a weapon to manipulate and exploit others”.
Signatories allude to voter fraud, hate speech, the QAnon conspiracy, and conspiracy theories, among others.
According to them, they are the source of the misinformation that has led to injuries, deaths and the breakdown of families.
For example, in 2020 Brian Lee Hitchens, a taxi driver in Florida, lost his wife to the coronavirus.
He confessed to giving his trust to Facebook content that claimed the pandemic was a hoax.
Since then, the man has been warning about the dangers of conspiracy theories.
What the letter asks
First, fact-checking groups have called for a commitment to meaningful transparency around misinformation on the platform. Next, the 80s ask for more context and demystification rather than just deleting the videos. Finally, according to them, measures against repeat offenders should be considered.
To improve the situation, the fact-checkers are clear.
YouTube will have to make greater efforts to fight misinformation, and this, in languages other than English.
Indeed, the detection of disinformation is all the more complex when the false content is not English-speaking or comes from developing countries.
To illustrate the problem, the letter lists accounts from around the world that have the potential to cause real harm.
All fell under the radar of YouTube's content policies, which were described as "insufficient".
Finally, YouTube should also rethink its recommendation algorithms to ensure that it "does not actively promote misinformation to its users or recommend content from untrusted channels".
YouTube defends itself
In response to the letter, YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez told The Guardian that the company was already investing in ways to "connect people to authoritative content", to "reduce the spread of misinformation". and to "remove violent videos".
She adds, “We are always looking for meaningful ways to improve and will continue to strengthen our work with the fact-checking community.”
On a dedicated page, the platform declares to use several functionalities, and in particular "machine learning systems".
Their purpose is to highlight information from trusted sources in search results and recommendations.
YouTube announced last year that it would remove all false anti-vaccine information from its platform.
The platform also deleted videos posted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, vectors of misinformation about the coronavirus.
A possible collaboration
The media and NGO signatories of the letter offered their collaboration with the video hosting platform.
“We are ready and able to help YouTube.
We would like to meet with you to discuss these issues and find ways of working together, and we look forward to your response to this offer,” the letter concludes.
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