The world’s fact-checkers against YouTube as the main diffuser of fake news

On By Garmin Philip

According to a global coalition of news verification organizations, YouTube is one of the world’s leading channels for disinformation and is not doing enough to address the spread of falsehoods on its platform. For this reason they have decided to end this problem and send a letter to their CEO.

More than 80 fact-checking groups from around the world have signed a letter stating that the video platform houses content from groups such as Doctors for Truth, who spread disinformation about Covid, and videos that support the idea that the elections presidential elections were a fraud, among many other things.

Among those who have signed, we find countries such as the United States (PolitiFact, The Washington Post), Spain (Maldita.es), Senegal or Kenya (Africa Check).

Disinformation is the Deliberate distribution of false information with the intent to cause harm. However, it is true that there is misinformation without harmful intent and unconsciously, but both are the same.

“YouTube is allowing its platform to be used as a weapon by unscrupulous actors to manipulate and exploit others, and to organize and raise funds. Current measures are proving insufficient.“is stated in the letter.

In this it is urged that YouTube, and therefore Google, make at least four changes to your platform. On the one hand, there is talk of a commitment to finance independent investigations about disinformation campaigns on the platform.

They also comment on ideas to stop their algorithms from promoting repeat offenders, tackle falsehoods in non-English videos, and provide links to rebuttals within videos that distribute disinformation.

The letter from the factcheckers emphasizes that the problem is the majority in the south, making reference to Latin America, Asia and Africa.

This open letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has been signed by more than 80 independent verification organizations in more than 40 countries and published on January 12, 2022. We leave you the link so you can read it in full in Spanish.

On the part of YouTube, it has taken measures to quell the misinformation of, among other issues, the Covid and in October 2020 it banned misinformation about Covid vaccines. Its CEO claims to have invested in policies such as reducing the spread of misinformation. However, it is clearly not enough.



Reference-computerhoy.com