3 ms·
"To that end, we’ll begin reducing recommendations of borderline content and content that could misinform users in harmful ways—such as videos promoting a phony
by kajumix 8y ago
"To that end, 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."
Why take moral positions on the content of the videos? Why be the arbiter of what people should watch? Why censor?
- nightski 8y agoI agree this is annoying. Personally I enjoyed watching the conspiracy theory 9/11 videos even if I didn't believe it for a second.
- AgentME 8y agoMaybe they should be there for people who seek them out, but YouTube shouldn't be recommending them onto people who didn't previously want them and who might not be approaching it skeptically.
- throwawaysea 8y agoWhy is it YouTube's business to judge truth and falsehoods and provide a manicured walled garden? That seems like an avenue for all sorts of manipulation, censorship, etc.
- AgentME 8y agoYouTube is already an avenue for all sorts of manipulation. They recommend harmful crazy conspiracy videos to unsuspecting people all the time right now. (9/11 conspiracy theory videos might just sound silly, but I'm also thinking of stuff like racially-charged holocaust conspiracy theories and baseless anti-vaccine stuff.) I think you're way too optimistic if you don't think those are likely converting many people at YouTube's scale. Just because this is the result of non-action by YouTube doesn't make it okay. YouTube becoming a moral arbiter isn't a perfect situation, but it can easily be better than the status quo.
- nightski 8y agoI don't find this true at all. Youtube is pretty biased in recommending videos closely related to what is in your history. It's pretty rare I get something that is not directly related to a recently watched video (this is clear because if I delete said video from my history the recommendations go away).
- alacombe 8y agoBecause it doesn't provide ad money and consume resources.