A particular platform with ties to China is coming under political pressure. But its competitor is demonstrating to politicians its dedication to defending the American political system. In a blog post, YouTube described the steps it took to combat false material during the recently finished midterm election season.
When Americans want to learn more about the people running for office, one of their primary news sources is YouTube. The platform reported that recordings from major broadcasters were shown on its Breaking News and Top News shelves more than 65 million times in November. In an effort to present its users with reliable sources, YouTube used a variety of strategies. 85% of suggestions for subjects connected to the midterms came from reputable sources like NBC News and Univision.
“Viewers across the United States came to YouTube this past midterm to learn and engage in a variety of ways,” reads YouTube’s post. “They heard directly from candidates, dug into campaign issues, and stayed informed on the latest news and election results. At YouTube, our overriding goal was critical: to connect people to high-quality news and information.”
Of course, some uploaders don’t follow the guidelines. Moreover, during significant news events, conspiracy theorists try to manipulate YouTube’s algorithm to propagate false information. It banned almost 10,000 midterm-related videos in response to these unscrupulous actors. These uploads broke the site’s Community Guidelines and hardly ever attracted a sizable audience. As a result, 75 percent of the deleted videos were removed before they received 100 views.
YouTube is now taking decisive action against people
Many of the deleted videos were about “the big lie.” After receiving criticism for failing to dispel political theories two years ago. YouTube is now taking decisive action against people who assert that the 2020 election was rigged. That type of action is in line with the guidelines YouTube established following the revolt on January 6.
More work must be done if YouTube wishes to follow its Community Guidelines. Even if YouTube is still fighting individual beliefs. It has built moderation policies that are a gold standard for the social web, despite the fact that Democratic politicians have referred to the platform as a portal to the “incelosphere.”
As a result of its success in combating electoral disinformation, YouTube now has an impact on websites like Twitter and Facebook. If the Google-owned company can keep up the excellent work, it may be able to escape further Capitol Hill interrogations.
