In a letter to CEO Susan Wojcicki issued Wednesday, more than 80 fact-checking institutions are calling on YouTube to manage what they say is rampant misinformation on the platform. They say that YouTube is ‘one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide.’
They say that YouTube’s efforts to address the problem are proving insufficient. In particular, they criticize YouTube for not doing enough to prevent its platform from being weaponized by unscrupulous actors to manipulate and exploit others and organize and fundraise themselves.
According to these groups, misinformation is a problem that is especially rampant in non-English speaking countries and the global south. The fact-checkers who are members of the International Fact-Checking Network include Rappler, Africa Check, Science Feedback, and several other groups. They lambasted YouTube for framing discussions about disinformation as a ‘false dichotomy’ of deleting or not deleting content.
The fact-checkers propose that YouTube focus on providing context and debunking videos that are ‘clearly superimposed’ over other footage and taking action against repeat offenders and misinformation in languages other than English.
YouTube has invested heavily in policies and products to connect people with authoritative content, reduce the spread of misinformation, and remove violative videos.
“Fact-checking is a crucial tool to help viewers make their own informed decisions,” she said, adding that it is “one piece of a much larger puzzle to address the spread of misinformation.”