YouTube removes 500K videos for COVID- 19 misinformation

YouTube has removed more than 500,000 videos spreading misinformation related to the COVID- 19 pandemic since February, according to a letter by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.

YouTube’s policies prohibit misinformation about the coronavirus, including claims the virus is a hoax or promoting medically unsubstantiated cures.

“We’re always working to strike the right balance between openness and responsibility as we meet the guidelines set by governments around the world,” reads the letter by Wojcicki. “Our approach to responsibility is to remove content experts say could lead to real world harm, raise up authoritative and trusted content, reduce views of borderline content, and reward creators who meet our even higher bar for monetization.”

Conspiracy theories are shaping people’s perceptions of the vaccine, according to a survey by Acxiom of 5,000 U. S. consumers from Nov. 25 to Dec. 4. More than 44% of respondents said there’s some truth to the unfounded claim that the death rate from COVID- 19 has been deliberately exaggerated, and half of those, 22%, said it is “definitely true.”

In October, YouTube began removing content about COVID- 19 vaccines that contradicts consensus from health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Facebook and Twitter take similar measures to remove claims that vaccines intentionally cause harm or are unnecessary, as well as debunked conspiracy theories about the adverse effects of vaccines.