On June 2, 2023, YouTube announced a significant change to its misinformation policy, according to a post published on the YouTube official blog. The platform aims to strike a balance between fostering open political discussion and protecting its community, especially during the ongoing election season.
The company first implemented a provision of its election misinformation policy, which focused on the integrity of past US Presidential elections, in December 2020. After two years, tens of thousands of video removals, and one election cycle, YouTube decided it was time to reassess the effects of this policy in the current landscape. The company found that while removing content that advances false claims about widespread fraud, errors, or glitches in the 2020 and other past US Presidential elections does curb some misinformation, it could also unintentionally limit political speech without significantly reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm.
With the 2024 campaigns underway, YouTube has decided to stop removing such content. This change took effect on Friday, June 2, 2023. The company emphasized that this decision was carefully deliberated.
However, this specific change represents just one part of YouTube’s broader approach to supporting elections on the platform. The company is committed to ensuring that when people come to YouTube for news and information about elections, they see content from authoritative sources prominently in search and recommendations. For instance, following the 2020 US election, videos from authoritative sources like news outlets were the most viewed and most recommended election videos on YouTube.
All of YouTube’s election misinformation policies remain in place, including those that disallow content aiming to mislead voters about the time, place, means, or eligibility requirements for voting; false claims that could materially discourage voting, including those disputing the validity of voting by mail; and content that encourages others to interfere with democratic processes.
YouTube’s policies against hate speech, harassment, and incitement to violence continue to apply to everyone on the platform for all types of content, including elections. The company has an elections-focused team, including members of its Intelligence Desk, Trust & Safety, and product teams, monitoring real-time developments and adjusting their strategy as needed. More details about YouTube’s approach toward the 2024 election will be shared in the coming months. [CNBC]
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