Google And YouTube Vow To Tackle Misinformation As They Detail Plans For The Upcoming US Midterms

Google and its popular video-sharing platform YouTube are going public with plans on how they plan to tackle the upcoming American Midterm Elections.

This includes highlighting a number of tools that they plan to keep at their disposal. The whole idea is to bring together efforts that limit the continuous spread of misinformation in the world of politics, the company announced.

Whenever a user will search for politically themed or election-based results, they’ll be provided with recommendations. These are designed to focus on journalism or videos that originate from authentic news sources. Common examples include WSJ, NBC, CBS, ABC, and similar affiliates.

The decision was announced today via a blog post where YouTube confirmed the removal of several videos regarding the US midterms. Anything that violates policies or makes false claims about the 2020 election have been removed and its system will continue to do the same.



At the same time, the platform highlights how there is no room for content that gives viewers inaccurate information about voting or content that speaks about violence. Similarly, content that interferes with the country’s democratic system wouldn’t be tolerated too.

YouTube says it has issued strikes to different creator channels that violate policies linked to midterms. Similarly, there is a temporary suspension in place in terms of putting up new content in that regard.

Google Search is also planning on making it simpler for different users to search up more details linked to the election coverage via both local and governmental news arising from various states.

There is also news about the launch of an upcoming tool by Google Search that was used in the past for directing voters toward more accurate data on how they can vote and even register for the process.



In the same way, the app hopes to assist voters with clear-cut directions about information panels on how to vote followed by a simple easy-to-click voting link that they can use. There are just some of the many election-themed features announced by the company.

YouTube hopes to add reminders for registration and different election resources. It says the addition of information panels located beneath videos and those that recommend what to watch next can be a great addition and source of guidance in this context.

YouTube has also specifically mentioned a few campaigns like one related to education and literacy that speaks more in detail about how users can avoid misinformation.

On the actual day of the elections, the platform will provide links to Google’s tracker for the election results where viewers can find updates on the polls beneath their videos. There will be a chance to put live streams of the election night too.

Those in search of federal candidates for the elections will also be provided essential information on the subject. This includes what office the candidate is running for and their affiliated political party.

There is a lot to cover and the time is extremely less. With up to two months left till the midterms kickstart, Google knows it’s got a huge challenge in front of it. After all, the way YouTube was scrutinized for the 2020 US elections is definitely a lesson the company has learned the hard way.

For this reason, they’re really going full throttle now in terms of outlining their policy and how they wish to counteract the problem.

Before this policy, YouTube didn’t remove any content swirling across its app that was a source of misinformation. But now, they’re really going after removing videos that are solely published to spread misinformation amongst the public.

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