YouTube announced recently that it would begin showing links and text from thrid-party fact-checkers to US viewers. Such a decision came after misinformation about the COVID-19 became unbearable, and people became confused.
The information panels, released in India and Brazil back in 2019, will highlight fact-checkers, third-party articles above search results for subjects such as “COVID and ibuprofen” or fake titles like “COVID-19 is a bio-weapon.” Particular searches such as “did a tornado hit LA,” as well.
YouTube Enhances the Fast-Check Feature
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are under pressure to fight the fake news related to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, from conspiracy theories to false treatments.
YouTube stated in a blog post that many US publishers are involved in its fact-checking system, including PolitiFact, FactCheck.org, and The Washington Post Fact Checker. The company explained that it couldn’t share all the fact-checking partners yet.
Back in 2018, YouTube began utilizing information panels that displayed links to sources such as Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica for subjects found as prone to fake news, such as the “flat Earth” theories. Now, those panels will help address misinformation in a quick-moving news cycle. YouTube has also started linking to the WHO and the CDC, and even local authorities for searches and videos related to the new coronavirus.
YouTube and Coronavirus
YouTube didn’t tell yet how many search terms would prompt the fact-check box. It only stated that it would “take some time for our systems to fully ramp up” as it rolls out the fact-checking tool. It explained, however, that the feature will be available only on searches.
Major social media companies, including YouTube, which have left their offices during the COVID-19 pandemic, have warned that their content moderation could be influenced by relying on some automated software. In March, Google stated that such a thing could cause a halt in videos being wrongly deleted for privacy violations.
