Home Technology YouTube to reduce recommendations of harmful content, conspiracy videos

YouTube to reduce recommendations of harmful content, conspiracy videos

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conspiracy

I love YouTube! As a service, it’s a great platform to watch and upload video that’s around for perpetuity. There’s a big problem with YouTube though, in that you’re only ever about 4 clicks away from content that’ll rot your brain. You can be watching an insightful and education video on making the very best breakfast smoothing, and just a few clicks later you’re watching somebody debunking the moon landing using the most spurious, coincidental and fallacious – yet somehow convincing -evidence. Next thing you know and you’re a 9/11 “truther,” refusing to believe that the moon even exists as you sit with tinfoil wrapped around your head so that the lizard people can’t influence your brain waves.

While that content has every right to exist, it’s often pushed so hard by YouTube that people with more time on their hands than they rightfully should have end up not just believing the stuff, but going down rabbit holes of similar content. YouTube’s going to stop pushing the stuff so much.

“When recommendations are at their best,” says YouTube, “they help users find a new song to fall in love with, discover their next favorite creator, or learn that great paella recipe. That’s why we update our recommendations system all the time—we want to make sure we’re suggesting videos that people actually want to watch.”

YouTube is now going to reduce the spread of content that veers close to, but doesn’t quite violate their guidelines.

“We’ll begin reducing recommendations of borderline content and content that could misinform users in harmful ways—such as videos promoting a phony miracle cure for a serious illness, claiming the earth is flat, or making blatantly false claims about historic events like 9/11.”

They’re not going to be scrubbing this sort of content from the internet, but will stop putting harmful content like this in the recommended videos. They’ll be using a combination of machine learning (which is what caused this nonsense to propagate in the first place) with actual human beings.

Last Updated: January 28, 2019

30 Comments

  1. For the Emperor!

    January 28, 2019 at 09:32

    But who chooses what is misinformation? CNN? Main Stream Media?

    Example: just the other day with the whole Covington debacle, MSM were the ones propagating lies and misinformation. That would have made the ones telling the truth on Youtube look like the misinformation train.

    Reply

    • For the Emperor!

      January 28, 2019 at 09:38

      “stop putting harmful content like this in the recommended videos” – as long as it remains in the recommended for those who want it. Look, it should not put that content for all people, but surely there are some who love that stuff and appreciate it in their recommended list!

      Reply

  2. Dresden

    January 28, 2019 at 10:08

  3. Guz

    January 28, 2019 at 09:32

    They should have a policy that if it can be disproved scientifically , that there should be an actual warning before the content plays eg “Warning the views expressed in this video are not facts”

    Reply

  4. Kromas

    January 28, 2019 at 09:32

    Please don’t mess with my conspiracy theory channels. I need to watch something when I have watched all the stand up comedy on netflix.

    Reply

    • For the Emperor!

      January 28, 2019 at 09:38

      Some of the conspiracy theories bring up good points, but just like Ancient Aliens their conclusions are quite often “what are these guys smoking”-worthy! I still love watching that stuff though 🙂

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        January 28, 2019 at 09:53

        Ancient Aliens poses interesting questions. But their answers are rather out there at times.
        One thing I am convinced of is that whatever civilizations existed on Earth thousands of years ago, they were far more advanced than we realize.

        Reply

        • Kromas

          January 28, 2019 at 09:54

          That is because they thought about creating social media but decided against it. 😛

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            January 28, 2019 at 10:01

            The true intelligence killer.

        • For the Emperor!

          January 28, 2019 at 10:01

          Yeah, they refuse to give any credit to the “old stupid people”. One of my biggest take-aways from it has actually been a travelling bucket list! That dinosaur they always show in the Angkor Wat temples – it is really there I saw it!!! And when the sun breaks through the clouds early morning at Machu Picchu when you reach the Sun Gates!

          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2ab46ff1d8e7a4ecf5bf9c5feac39c6a54c0f4c417f8cf23c21ccdbc6590a510.jpg

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            January 28, 2019 at 10:01

            I’d fucking love to do the Inca Trail and go see Machu Pichu. But my fear of heights might get the better of me at that moerse steep staircase right there at the end.

          • For the Emperor!

            January 28, 2019 at 10:14

            Aaah, “The Gringo Killer”. I saw the one Aussie and lead guide starting a race up some stairs, so I joined to beat the Aussie (I did as fat as I was), only to realise afterwards it was that one! Honestly worth it, but I think you should worry more about the heights on days 2 and 3!

          • Original Heretic

            January 28, 2019 at 10:14

            My initial worry would be getting on the ‘plane. Just getting there would suck for me.
            I foresee a very drunken flight.
            Or one where I’m semi-comatose of relaxants.

          • For the Emperor!

            January 28, 2019 at 10:15

            The flight is long, yes. I did basically a month there to make up for it! Did the G-Adventures Absolute Peru trip in 2012 https://www.gadventures.com/trips/absolute-peru/PHPT/

        • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

          February 1, 2019 at 09:20

          Jimmy from Bright Insight can educate you on this. He never proposes answers, only questions.. Currently all evidence points to a catclysmic flood 12000 years ago.

          The only man-made material that lasts thousands of years is stone (structures), so that’s all the evidence available.

          Reply

        • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

          February 1, 2019 at 09:20

          Jimmy from Bright Insight can educate you on this. He never proposes answers, only questions.. Currently all evidence points to a catclysmic flood 12000 years ago.

          The only man-made material that lasts thousands of years is stone (structures), so that’s all the evidence available.

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            February 1, 2019 at 09:33

            Yeah, seen stuff on that.
            Coupled with the fact that every major ancient civilization had a “flood myth”, it makes sense that it did actually happen.

          • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

            February 1, 2019 at 09:55

            The next great flood should come from global warming. Lol

          • Original Heretic

            February 1, 2019 at 10:10

            I read this morning about a section of the south pole ice. A large cavity has been observed under the ice.

          • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

            February 1, 2019 at 10:15

            Like the mothership from Man of Steel??????????? O_O

          • Original Heretic

            February 1, 2019 at 10:20

            ….yes.

          • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

            February 4, 2019 at 11:33

            How awesome would that be lol

  5. Admiral Chief

    January 28, 2019 at 10:01

    LIZARD PEOPLE ARE REAL DAMMIT

    Reply

  6. HvR

    January 28, 2019 at 14:51

    Problem where is the line and who decides the line.

    10 years ago, Facebook allowing the collection of personal information that gets sold to companies to swing US elections would be considered a conspiracy theory.
    20 years ago, a fringe Islamic extremist organization previously funded by the CIA hijacking planes and flying them into building like in literally out of the pages of a Clancy novel would be considered a conspiracy theory.

    Reply

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