The open letter to YouTube's CEO was written by the global fact-checking group The International Fact-Checking Network and published by Poynter.org on Wednesday (12/1/2022). The open letter to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki contains a number of concerns about the global platform.
“It has been almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The world has seen time and again how destructive disinformation and misinformation can undermine social harmony, democracy and public health; too many lives and livelihoods have been destroyed, and too many people have lost loved ones to disinformation,” the open letter said.
Further, the letter states, “As an international network of fact-checking organizations, we monitor how lies are spread online, and every day we see that YouTube is one of the main channels of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide. This is a significant concern among our global fact-checking community.”
Further, they said “What we didn't see was a lot of effort by YouTube to implement policies that address the issue. Instead, YouTube leaves its platform armed by unscrupulous actors to manipulate and exploit others, and to organize and raise funds on its own," the letter said.
According to them, YouTube's current measures are proving insufficient. "That is why we urge you to take effective action against disinformation and misinformation, and to outline a roadmap for policy and product interventions to improve the information ecosystem, and to do so with the world's independent and nonpartisan fact-checking organizations," the letter said.
"In the past year, we've seen conspiracy groups thrive and collaborate across borders, including an international movement that started in Germany, jumped to Spain and spread throughout Latin America, all on YouTube," the global network said.
Meanwhile, millions of other users watched videos in Greek and Arabic urging them to boycott vaccinations or treat their COVID-19 infection with fake drugs. "In addition to COVID-19, YouTube videos have been promoting fake treatments for cancer for years," the letter said.
The network revealed, “In Brazil, the platform has been used to amplify hate speech against vulnerable groups, reaching tens of thousands of users.”
“Election is also not safe. In the Philippines, fake content with more than 2 million views denying human rights abuses and corruption during the martial law years was used to boost the reputation of the late dictator's son, one of the candidates in the 2022 election," the fact-checking network said.
Another fact discovered by the network is, “In Taiwan, the last election was marred by baseless accusations of fraud. The whole world witnessed the consequences of disinformation when a violent mob attacked the US Capitol last year. From the night of the US presidential election until the day after tomorrow, YouTube videos supporting the 'scam' narrative have been viewed more than 33 million times."
The examples are too many to count. Many of those videos and channels remain online today, and they all come under YouTube's policy radar, especially in non-English speaking countries and the Global South.
"We're pleased that the company has made several steps to try to address this issue of late, but based on what we see daily on the platform, we don't think this effort is successful, nor is YouTube producing quality data to prove its effectiveness," the examiner said. that fact.
The fact-checking network added, “Your company's platform has so far framed discussions about disinformation as a false dichotomy of removing or not removing content. By doing this, YouTube avoids the possibility of doing what has proven to be successful: our experience as fact-checkers along with academic evidence tells us that it is more effective to show fact-checked information than to remove content.”
"It also safeguards freedom of expression while recognizing the need for additional information to reduce the risk of harm to life, health, safety and democratic processes," the network said.
They emphasized that, given that most views on YouTube come from its own recommendation algorithms, YouTube must also ensure that YouTube does not actively promote disinformation to its users or recommend content originating from unreliable channels.
"With all of this in mind, we propose several solutions that will make a big difference in reducing the spread of disinformation and misinformation on YouTube," they said.
They demand a commitment to meaningful transparency about disinformation on the platform: YouTube must support independent research into the origins of misinformation campaigns, their reach and impact, and the most effective ways to debunk false information. The network called on YouTube to publish a full moderation policy on disinformation and misinformation, including the use of artificial intelligence and which data supports it.
“In addition to removing content for legal compliance, YouTube's focus should be on providing context and offering a disclaimer, which is clearly superimposed on the video or as additional video content. It can only come from entering into meaningful and structured collaboration by taking responsibility and systematically investing in independent fact-checking efforts around the world that are working to solve this problem,” the open letter said.
In addition, the network is asking YouTube to act against repeat infringers who produce content that is consistently flagged as disinformation and misinformation, particularly those who monetize that content on and off the platform, particularly by preventing recommended algorithm fixes from promoting content from information sources. the wrong.
"Expand current and future efforts against disinformation and misinformation in languages different from English, and provide country and language-specific data and transcription services that work in any language," the open letter said.
The open letter concluded with the affirmation, “We hope that you will consider implementing these ideas for the public good and making YouTube a platform that truly does its best to prevent armed disinformation and misinformation against its users and society at large."
"We are ready and can help YouTube. We would like to meet with you to discuss this matter and find ways to collaborate, and look forward to your response to this offer, They added”
