CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: PROF. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Life Style / Technology

YouTube tries to crack down on conspiracy videos

Published: 14 Mar 2018 - 09:47 pm | Last Updated: 06 Nov 2021 - 06:16 am
A Cuban youtuber records a magician's performance for her youtube channel in Havana, on February 26, 2018.  AFP / Yamil Lage

A Cuban youtuber records a magician's performance for her youtube channel in Havana, on February 26, 2018. AFP / Yamil Lage

Associated Press

NEW YORK:  YouTube says it's cracking down on conspiracy videos, though it's scant on the details.

Conspiracy videos abound on YouTube, whether it's about the Earth being flat or school shootings being staged. YouTube, its parent Google, Facebook and Twitter are all facing challenges with the spread of misinformation, propaganda and fake news.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said at a conference on Tuesday that the company will work to debunk videos espousing conspiracy theories by including links to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

In a statement, YouTube said Wednesday that the links will include other "third-party sources." But it isn't identifying any.

The company says move is part of a broader initiative at YouTube to crack down on misinformation, but did not give details on what else is in the works.