YouTube in an awareness campaign against misinformation – image

To illustrate its anti-disinformation features, YouTube has announced the launch of an awareness campaign on the topic “YouTube helps you protect yourself.” This includes various educational videos, broadcast from October 25 to December 12 on social networks (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin), and will be available in hard copy in various media. First, Vincent Simonet, director of engineering at Google France, speaks in an interview with Brut Media, a video posted on Wednesday, October 20 – where he answers questions from creator DebunKer des Étoiles. He remembers YouTube’s actions, which revolve around four principles, “4 Rs”: remove content that breaks the rules as quickly as possible; transfer of more reliable sources in research results and recommendations; reduce recommendations for content that are within the limits of the rules and combat recommendation bias; And rewarding content that meets the highest standards.

YouTube also published a brochure “Le Vrai du Fake”, to guide Internet users who are looking for reliable information on its platform, in order to highlight 20 high-quality YouTube channels. This non-exhaustive selection includes 4 categories: “Method: Sharpen your critical mind” with Defakator or Mr. Sam or Le Crayon; “Decoding: Combating Disinformation” with L’Instant Détox, Le Monde or The Sciencoder; “Live: Keep up to date” with Esther Reporter, BFMTV, Euronews or HugoDécrypte; and “Report: A Better Understanding of the World” with Brut, Arte or StreetPress channels.

Finally, in the How YouTube Works space, YouTube offers five tips from the Génération Numérique Association to fight misinformation. On this page, YouTube also brings together all the commitments and measures taken to make YouTube ever safer: managing harmful content, limiting the distribution of extremist content, fighting incitement to hatred… YouTube also supports creators who mobilize against misinformation and support the collaboration between Hugo Décrypte (HugoDécrypte). – News of the Day (1.3 million subscribers) and Génération Numérique to allow creation of two videos of advice: “Fake news: our brain manipulates us on various cognitive biases” (160,000 views) and “6 manipulation techniques you absolutely need to know to defend yourself against it” (390) thousand views).

“As a platform for distributing content produced by others, we are aware of our responsibilities in combating misinformation. YouTube is also a huge lever for freedom of creativity and expression. Thanks to the passionate work of our teams, we work alongside creators and journalists every day,” said Justin Rist, Managing Director of YouTube France. and the media to make it a useful platform for information.”