BY: Mustapha Lawal
Earlier in 2022, YouTube faced significant criticism from a global coalition of fact-checking organisations. In a letter signed by more than 80 groups, including Full Fact in the UK and the Washington Post’s Fact Checker.
YouTube was accused of being a major conduit of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide and not doing enough to tackle the spread of falsehoods on its platform.
YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez responded to the accusation, emphasizing the platform’s investment in improving fact-checking and reducing the spread of misinformation. She highlighted the progress made in keeping recommended ‘borderline’ misinformation below 1% of views and violative content below 0.21%.
“Borderline” misinformation, is a term for content that comes close to – but doesn’t quite cross the line of – breaching the platform’s guidelines.
On June 17th, 2024, YouTube introduced an experimental feature allowing users to add notes to provide relevant, timely, and easy-to-understand context on videos. Announced via the platform’s official blog, this feature aims to test new ways of offering viewers more context and information on videos.
Currently available on mobile in the U.S. and in English, the pilot phase is prone to errors, including notes that may need to match the videos perfectly or contain incorrect information, YouTube acknowledges.
However, YouTube encourages viewers, participants, and creators to provide feedback on the quality of notes to refine the feature over time and consider broader expansion.
The notes could clarify when a song is meant to be a parody, point out when a new version of a product being reviewed is available, or let viewers know when older footage is mistakenly portrayed as a current event, YouTube explained. This move by YouTube is part of a broader effort to address the pervasive issue of disinformation.
This feature is similar to X (formerly Twitter)’s Community Notes, which allows selected contributors to add context to posts with tags such as “misleading” and “out of context.” The community notes operate on a collaborative model, which begins with selected users, who have been vetted for diversity in perspective and can write notes that provide additional context to tweets. These notes are then rated for helpfulness by other contributors. Only notes that receive broad agreement from users with differing viewpoints are made public.
For YouTube, it is said that during the test phase, third-party evaluators will rate the helpfulness of the notes, helping train YouTube’s systems before a potential broader rollout. These third-party evaluators are stated to be the same people who provide feedback on YouTube’s search results and recommendations.
Misinformation has dire consequences, influencing public opinion, shaping political outcomes, and even endangering lives during health crises. Platforms like YouTube and X, with their massive reach and influence, have a responsibility to their users to ensure that the information disseminated through their channels is accurate and reliable.
While the introduction of features like YouTube’s notes and X’s Community Notes represents a positive step forward, the fight against disinformation requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes not only technical solutions but also fostering media literacy among users, encouraging critical thinking, and creating robust fact-checking networks.
Moreover, platform accountability is crucial. The involvement of third-party evaluators and feedback from the community can help improve these features, but platforms must also be transparent about their methodologies and willing to adapt based on constructive criticism. Ensuring a diversity of voices and perspectives in the development and evaluation of these tools is essential to mitigate biases and enhance their effectiveness.
In conclusion, combating disinformation is a complex and ongoing challenge in the digital age. The actions taken by platforms like YouTube and X to introduce features that provide context and clarity are commendable steps in the right direction. However, sustained efforts, continuous improvement, and a commitment to transparency and accountability are necessary to create an informed and discerning online community.
This article was written as part of FCA’s series on Countering Misinformation and Disinformation in Africa
Editor: Habeeb Adisa
