YouTube's Election Strategy: Censorship, AI, and Influence - What You Need to Know
YouTube Takes Down 35,000 Video Uploads in the EU in 2023
YouTube's Role in Upcoming Elections
Google's YouTube platform is adopting a new strategy in the run-up to the 2024 election. It's taking on the role of a private business that supports elections, as outlined in a recent blog post. The changes are not only relevant to the United States election, but also to the imminent European Parliament (EP) election.
YouTube's stated aim is to provide "an overview of our efforts to help people across Europe and beyond find helpful and authoritative election news and information." This implies that YouTube will only share approved information to influence people's voting habits.
However, critics like Reclaim the Net warn that YouTube's strategy quickly becomes another front in the 'war on disinformation'.
YouTube's Mass Censorship
YouTube proudly announced in the same blog post that it removed 35,000 videos uploaded in the European Union (EU) in 2023, with more removals expected this year. These videos allegedly contained content that violated YouTube's policies, including "certain types of election misinformation".
It's not just artificial intelligence (AI) that's responsible for removing "offensive" content on YouTube. Reports suggest that YouTube has developed a system where "global teams of reviewers" use machine learning algorithms to identify and remove videos.
YouTube's Justification
YouTube justifies its actions by stating its aim to help users "learn about the issues shaping the debate." Part of this effort involves "dealing with harmful content," which some interpret as YouTube trying to shape the debate rather than simply facilitate it.
YouTube's Intelligence Desk has been working for months to anticipate emerging issues and trends that could impact the EU elections. If Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) identifies a coordinated influence campaign, it will immediately share the information with law enforcement, including EUROPOL.
Use of AI in Elections
While YouTube acknowledges that AI can potentially be used to manipulate an election, it maintains that its use of AI is acceptable. When viewers search for 2024 European parliamentary candidates, an information panel will appear above the search results, providing details about the candidate and linking to Google Search.
In the final weeks of the campaign, YouTube will display reminders on its homepage about where and how to vote.
Conclusion
YouTube's recent actions and changes in policy have sparked a debate about the role of tech giants in elections and the potential for manipulation. While some see these actions as necessary to combat misinformation, others view them as a form of censorship. What's your take on this issue? Share this article with your friends and sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.