In a bid to fight misinformation on its video-sharing platform, Google has announced that it will be cracking down on videos with misleading titles and thumbnails. The new policy will primarily target videos where the title or thumbnail does not match the content, with a focus on news items. The search giant has revealed that it will first delete violating videos directly, rather than issuing a fine. To give creators time to adapt to the new policy, YouTube will initially pull down violating videos, rather than imposing penalties immediately. This policy will begin rolling out in India first before being expanded to other markets over the coming months.
Similar efforts to curb clickbait videos have been conducted in the past on YouTube. However, this new policy is said to be more extensive and potential changes could include the introduction of automated content moderation tools, which could proactively identify and remove misleading videos. YouTube has stated that creators will have the ability to appeal the removal of their videos if they disagree with the decision.
Under the proposed new policy, YouTube will reportedly flag false or misleading headlines or tags on videos, which could result in the video's visibility being restricted or even its removal. The platform will also reportedly begin to tag and label videos deemed to contain misinformation. A similar approach to news on other social media platforms has seen YouTube’s competitors such as Facebook and Twitter having to deal with repeatedly flagging issues, particularly when it comes to short-term emergent events, such as live breaking news.
YouTube's parent company, Alphabet subsidiary Google, has stated that the proposed new policy is part of ongoing efforts to ensure that YouTube remains a trustworthy platform and provide high-quality and accurate information to its users.
It is unclear whether this new policy will be implemented around the world or whether it will be tailored to certain regions. However, YouTube has stated that it is imperative to tackle the issue of clickbait videos and promote a culture of being honest with users.