YouTube is planning to introduce a fact-check box in search results for topics that are prone to misinformation.
Buzzfeed News reports that this feature will eventually be available worldwide, and is currently available to some users in India.
A YouTube spokesperson tells BuzzFeed News:
“As part of our ongoing efforts to build a better news experience on YouTube, we are expanding our information panels to bring fact checks from eligible publishers to YouTube.”
Here is an example provided by YouTube of what the information panels look like.
YouTube is said to be working on this feature with a number of third-party verified fact-checkers.
The fact-check panels will automatically debunk false claims by pulling information from those third-party sites.
Videos with misinformation will still appear in search results, so the fact-check panels are more of a warning to let users know what they’re getting into.
YouTube cannot outright remove content that spreads misinformation unless it also violates the platform’s community guidelines.
Instead, YouTube will debunk false claims in search results in an effort to thwart viewership of videos with misinformation. However, users can still go ahead and watch the videos if they want to.
Fact-check panels will not prevent users from being able to access content. They’re simply designed to keep users more informed.
So it’s not a perfect solution, but maybe it’s the first step in fighting the growing concern of misinformation on YouTube.
