Why it matters: YouTube's content policies — which are separate from the advertising policies Google outlined in the fall — do not ban political falsehoods at a time when tech platforms are under fire to limit misinformation about candidates and elections.
Driving the news: In new explanations refining its stance, YouTube clarified how its deceptive practices policy applies to election-related content, including deepfakes.
- YouTube will remove videos that advance "false claims related to the technical eligibility requirements" of current candidates and officeholders. YouTube offers as an example a claim that a candidate isn't eligible for office because of false information about citizenship status requirements.
- The company also said it would remove content that has been manipulated in a way that misleads users and may pose a risk of "egregious harm." That includes the altered video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that was slowed to make her appear as if she was drunkenly slurring her speech.
- For the 2018 midterm elections, YouTube included information panels about candidates in response to search queries from users, and intends to have a similar feature for 2020 candidates in the coming months.
What's next: YouTube notes that the overview of its current practices will not be the end of its efforts on election-related content.
- "YouTube remains committed to maintaining the balance of openness and responsibility, before, during and after the 2020 U.S. election," Leslie Miller, vice president of YouTube government affairs and public policy, wrote in the blog.
Sad that something with somuch potential for good is squandered not nurtured.
And what a waste of time YT has become.