YouTube will no longer take down false claims about U.S. elections
1 year, 6 months ago

YouTube will no longer take down false claims about U.S. elections

NPR  

YouTube will no longer take down false claims about U.S. elections Enlarge this image toggle caption Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images YouTube will no longer remove videos falsely claiming the 2020 U.S. presidential election was stolen, reversing a policy put in place in the contentious weeks following the 2020 vote. The Google-owned video platform said in a blog post that it has taken down "tens of thousands" of videos questioning the integrity of past U.S. presidential elections since it created the policy in December 2020. But two and a half years later, the company said it "will stop removing content that advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches occurred in the 2020 and other past U.S. Presidential elections" because things have changed. YouTube's reversal of its prohibition on false claims about U.S. elections comes as the 2024 campaign is already underway, and former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump continues to claim, without evidence, that he lost to Joe Biden in 2020 because of widespread fraud.

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History of this topic

How are social media preparing for the election? With many guardrails off
1 month, 2 weeks ago

How are social media preparing for the election? With many guardrails off

NPR  

How are social media preparing for the election? With many guardrails off toggle caption Matt Cardy/Getty Images Tech platforms have stepped back from many of the more aggressive measures they took to curb the spread of election rumors and falsehoods four years ago. As it did in 2020, Meta has not allowed new political Meta announced Monday that political ads …

Expect This Election to Play Differently than 2020 on Social Media
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Expect This Election to Play Differently than 2020 on Social Media

Bloomberg  

Heading into the US presidential election four years ago, Facebook and Twitter instituted substantial policies to combat misleading political content, touted their investments into content moderation and promised to do all they could to avoid a free-for-all on their platforms. Just before Election Day in 2020, Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg told investors the election would be a test …

Intelligence chairman says US may be less prepared for election threats than it was four years ago
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Intelligence chairman says US may be less prepared for election threats than it was four years ago

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — With only five months before voters head to the polls, the U.S. may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation aimed at influencing voters and undermining democracy than it was before the 2020 election, the leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Monday. As a result, the U.S. could face a greater threat of foreign disinformation ahead of the …

Experts warn of AI's impact on 2024 US election as deepfakes go mainstream and social media guardrails fade
11 months, 4 weeks ago

Experts warn of AI's impact on 2024 US election as deepfakes go mainstream and social media guardrails fade

ABC  

Nearly three years after rioters stormed the US Capitol, the false election conspiracy theories that drove the violent attack remain prevalent on social media and that country's television news. Defence force chief's deepfake and AI warning Photo shows Angus Campbell stands alongside Anthony Albanese at a press conference at parliament house General Angus Campbell warns the world is entering an …

Election disinformation campaigns targeted voters of color in 2020. Experts expect 2024 to be worse
1 year, 4 months ago

Election disinformation campaigns targeted voters of color in 2020. Experts expect 2024 to be worse

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Leading up to the 2020 election, Facebook ads targeting Latino and Asian American voters described Joe Biden as a communist. “ What we saw in 2020, unfortunately, will probably be fairly mild in comparison to what we will see in the months leading up to 2024.” A growing subset of communities of color, especially immigrants for whom English …

'Reckless’: Biden's poll campaign on YouTube's content policy on election claims
1 year, 6 months ago

'Reckless’: Biden's poll campaign on YouTube's content policy on election claims

Hindustan Times  

US President Joe Biden's re-election campaign said on Tuesday that a decision by Alphabet Inc's YouTube to stop policing false claims about fraud in the 2020 race is "reckless" and could lead to violence. "YouTube's reckless and irresponsible decision will invite further democratic decay and potential violence, and we urge them to reconsider this policy," Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz …

YouTube scraps 2020 U.S. election misinformation policy
1 year, 6 months ago

YouTube scraps 2020 U.S. election misinformation policy

The Hindu  

YouTube will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 U.S. presidential election was plagued by "fraud, errors or glitches," the platform said Friday, a decision quickly criticised by anti-misinformation advocates. "We will stop removing content that advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches occurred in the 2020 and other past U.S. presidential elections." "YouTube is dead wrong …

YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections
1 year, 6 months ago

YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections

Associated Press  

YouTube will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election or other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by “widespread fraud, errors or glitches,” the platform announced Friday. YouTube said in a blog post that the updated policy was an attempt to protect the ability to “openly debate political ideas, even those that are controversial or based on disproven …

YouTube fully restores Donald Trump’s account
1 year, 9 months ago

YouTube fully restores Donald Trump’s account

Al Jazeera  

Video streaming platform says the decision aims to allow voters to hear equally from candidates in the run-up to the 2024 vote. YouTube has lifted restrictions on Donald Trump’s channel, becoming the latest social media network to fully restore the former United States president’s account more than two years after his supporters violently stormed the US Capitol. After a right-wing …

Facebook, YouTube remove content backing Brazil attack
1 year, 11 months ago

Facebook, YouTube remove content backing Brazil attack

The Hindu  

Facebook parent Meta and Google's video platform YouTube said on Monday they were removing content supporting or praising the weekend ransacking of Brazilian government buildings by anti-democratic demonstrators. "In advance of the election, we designated Brazil as a temporary high-risk location and have been removing content calling for people to take up arms or forcibly invade Congress, the Presidential palace …

Social media platforms have done ‘half-measures’ to root out election disinformation
2 years, 2 months ago

Social media platforms have done ‘half-measures’ to root out election disinformation

LA Times  

Baseless claims about election fraud continue to flourish on popular internet platforms ahead of the midterms, despite what the companies say have been efforts to contain them. A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 2 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

Associated Press  

A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they’ve expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review …

Social media platforms brace for U.S. midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 2 months ago

Social media platforms brace for U.S. midterm elections mayhem

The Hindu  

A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children's museum are brainwashing children so they'll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they've expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 2 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 2 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

Al Jazeera  

Misinformation about voting and elections abounds on social media despite promises by tech companies to curb these. A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they will accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they have expanded their work …

Facebook misses election disinformation ads in Brazil: Report
2 years, 4 months ago

Facebook misses election disinformation ads in Brazil: Report

Al Jazeera  

Facebook failed to filter out The international rights group said on Monday that it had submitted 10 ads in Brazilian Portuguese to Facebook that contained election disinformation, including false claims about where and when to vote, or sought to delegitimise the country’s electoral process. “Given the high stakes nature of the Brazilian election, Facebook is failing in its efforts to …

Fact checkers say YouTube lets its platform be ‘weaponized’
2 years, 11 months ago

Fact checkers say YouTube lets its platform be ‘weaponized’

Associated Press  

More than 80 fact checking organizations are calling on YouTube to address what they say is rampant misinformation on the platform. In a letter to CEO Susan Wojcicki published Wednesday, the groups say the Google-owned video platform is “one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide.” YouTube’s efforts to address the problem, they say, are proving insufficient. …

An Open Letter to YouTube’s CEO From the World’s Fact-Checkers
2 years, 11 months ago

An Open Letter to YouTube’s CEO From the World’s Fact-Checkers

The Quint  

January 12, 2022 Ms. Susan Wojcicki, It’s been almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. As an international network of fact-checking organizations, we monitor how lies spread online — and everyday, we see that YouTube is one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide. And given that a large proportion of views on YouTube come from …

YouTube expands COVID move to block all anti-vaccine content
3 years, 2 months ago

YouTube expands COVID move to block all anti-vaccine content

Al Jazeera  

Aside from anti-COVID-19 misinformation, video-sharing giant will also bar erroneous claims about flu and measles jabs. YouTube will block all anti-vaccine content, moving beyond its ban on false information about COVID-19 vaccines to include material that contains misinformation about other approved vaccines, the social media giant has announced. YouTube said on Wednesday the expanded policy will apply to “currently administered …

Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims
3 years, 2 months ago

Fighting wave of misinfo, YouTube bans false vaccine claims

Associated Press  

YouTube announced a sweeping crackdown of vaccine misinformation Wednesday that booted popular anti-vaccine influencers from its site and deleted false claims that have been made about a range of immunizations. Despite tech companies announcing a string of new rules around COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation during the pandemic, falsehoods have still found big audiences on the platforms. Facebook, which also owns …

Fighting wave of misinformation, YouTube bans false vaccine claims
3 years, 2 months ago

Fighting wave of misinformation, YouTube bans false vaccine claims

LA Times  

YouTube, which is owned by Google, will delete videos that falsely claim vaccines are dangerous or cause health issues. The ban on vaccine misinformation, announced in a blog post Wednesday, comes as countries around the world continue to offer free immunizations for COVID-19 to a somewhat hesitant public. Public health officials have struggled to push back against a steady current …

YouTube is cracking down on anti-vaccine misinformation
3 years, 2 months ago

YouTube is cracking down on anti-vaccine misinformation

CNN  

New York CNN Business — YouTube will remove videos spreading misinformation about any approved vaccine, not only those aimed at preventing Covid-19, the company announced in a blog post Wednesday. In a statement provided to CNN Business, YouTube also confirmed it would remove the channels of “several well-known vaccine misinformation spreaders” under the new policy, including one belonging to the …

Facebook, Twitter outpaced by smaller platforms in fight against harmful content
3 years, 10 months ago

Facebook, Twitter outpaced by smaller platforms in fight against harmful content

The Hindu  

Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet's YouTube made smaller strides than their social media rivals including TikTok and Reddit at battling harmful content such as hate speech and misinformation during the second half of 2020, a study released on Monday showed. Advertising agency IPG Mediabrands released its "Media Responsibility Index," examining how the top social media platforms performed in 10 areas including …

Trump Returns to Twitter With Video Conceding Defeat; Stays Banned on Facebook, Other Platforms
3 years, 11 months ago

Trump Returns to Twitter With Video Conceding Defeat; Stays Banned on Facebook, Other Platforms

News 18  

US President Donald Trump returned to Twitter after facing a temporary ban with a video acknowledging that Joe Biden would be the next US president as other social media services including Facebook blocked his accounts over concerns that his messages might spark further violent protests. “The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends …

Weeks after election, YouTube cracks down on misinformation
4 years ago

Weeks after election, YouTube cracks down on misinformation

Associated Press  

More than a month after the U.S. presidential election, YouTube says it will start removing newly uploaded material that claims widespread voter fraud or errors changed the outcome. That’s because Tuesday was the “safe harbor” deadline for the election and YouTube said enough states have certified their results to determine Joe Biden as the winner. Attorney General William Barr said …

Weeks after election, YouTube cracks down on misinformation
4 years ago

Weeks after election, YouTube cracks down on misinformation

LA Times  

YouTube has been widely criticized for not doing more to prevent misinformation from spreading on its platform. More than a month after the U.S. presidential election, YouTube says it will start removing newly uploaded material that claims widespread voter fraud or errors changed the outcome. That’s because Tuesday was the “safe harbor” deadline for the election and YouTube said enough …

US Election 2020: Facebook, Twitter CEOs facing questions on poll measures
4 years, 1 month ago

US Election 2020: Facebook, Twitter CEOs facing questions on poll measures

Hindustan Times  

A Senate panel is calling on the CEOs of Facebook and Twitter to defend their handling of disinformation in the contest between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday to question Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey on their companies’ actions around the closely contested election. On Monday, Twitter flagged …

Facebook, Twitter grilled on election response by US senators
4 years, 1 month ago

Facebook, Twitter grilled on election response by US senators

Al Jazeera  

The tech CEOs are taking questions before a United States Senate committee to defend their handling of election disinformation. 17 Nov 2020 - 17:56 GMT Twitter’s Dorsey says social media ‘can be addictive’ Dorsey, when questioned again by Senator Graham about whether Facebook can be addictive, responded: “I do think like anything else, these tools can be addictive and we …

Facebook, Twitter CEOs to be pressed on election handling
4 years, 1 month ago

Facebook, Twitter CEOs to be pressed on election handling

Hindustan Times  

The CEOs of Facebook and Twitter are being summoned before Congress to defend their handling of disinformation in the 2020 presidential election, even as lawmakers questioning them are deeply divided over the election’s integrity and results. Fight hard.” Both Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey promised lawmakers last month that they would aggressively guard their platforms from being manipulated …

Facebook, Twitter CEOs to be pressed on election handling
4 years, 1 month ago

Facebook, Twitter CEOs to be pressed on election handling

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The CEOs of Facebook and Twitter are being summoned before Congress to defend their handling of disinformation in the 2020 presidential election, even as lawmakers questioning them are deeply divided over the election’s integrity and results. Fight hard.” Both Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey promised lawmakers last month that they would aggressively guard their platforms from …

YouTube channels making money from ads, memberships amplify Trump voting fraud claims
4 years, 1 month ago

YouTube channels making money from ads, memberships amplify Trump voting fraud claims

The Hindu  

At least nine popular YouTube channels were promoting on Thursday debunked accusations about voting fraud in the U.S. presidential race, conspiratorial content that could jeopardize advertising and memberships revenue they get from the video service. YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, has rules that forbid channels using its revenue-generation tools from making “claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly …

YouTube will not remove popular ‘Trump Won’ video, despite the fact he has not
4 years, 1 month ago

YouTube will not remove popular ‘Trump Won’ video, despite the fact he has not

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “President Trump won four more years in the office last night”, the video falsely claims, going on …

Did social media actually counter election misinformation?
4 years, 1 month ago

Did social media actually counter election misinformation?

Associated Press  

Ahead of the election, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube promised to clamp down on election misinformation, including unsubstantiated charges of fraud and premature declarations of victory by candidates. “They’re just appending this little label to the president’s posts, but they’re appending those to any politician talking about the election,” said McGregor, who blamed both the tech giants and traditional media outlets …

Social media slow to crack down on users rallying against vote-counting
4 years, 1 month ago

Social media slow to crack down on users rallying against vote-counting

LA Times  

A Stop the Steal Facebook group created by Republican operatives grew to hundreds of thousands of members before Facebook shut it down Thursday. The “Stop the Steal” phrase first gained traction on social media on election day and was boosted that night, when Trump tweeted the unsubstantiated claim that “they” are “trying to STEAL the election.” On Wednesday, variations on …

Twitter, Facebook label Trump's election posts when votes were still being counted
4 years, 1 month ago

Twitter, Facebook label Trump's election posts when votes were still being counted

The Hindu  

Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc flagged some of President Donald Trump's posts on the U.S. election as votes were still being counted, in a real-time test of their rules on handling misinformation and premature claims of victory. Facebook added a label to the same post that said “final results may be different from initial vote counts as ballot counting will …

How Facebook and Twitter plan to handle election day disinformation
4 years, 1 month ago

How Facebook and Twitter plan to handle election day disinformation

LA Times  

A man in the Atlanta suburbs was scrolling Facebook in late October when an ad popped up claiming his polling place had changed. Facebook’s decision to ban new political ads beginning a week before election day came under fire from the Biden campaign after what the company calls “technical flaws” in its software caused a number of existing ad campaigns …

Twitter to impose misinformation limits ahead of US election
4 years, 2 months ago

Twitter to impose misinformation limits ahead of US election

Al Jazeera  

New rules restrict candidates from declaring premature victory and block calls for violence and voting interference. Twitter will restrict political candidates from declaring premature victory, make it tougher for users to spread misinformation and block calls for violence on its platform in the days leading up to and following the United States election on November 3. “To determine the results …

Facebook Vows To Crack Down On Voter Intimidation In Election
4 years, 2 months ago

Facebook Vows To Crack Down On Voter Intimidation In Election

NPR  

Facebook Vows To Crack Down On Voter Intimidation In Election Enlarge this image toggle caption Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images Facebook said on Wednesday it would crack down on efforts to intimidate voters, amid growing concerns over potential confrontations at polling places and calls from the Trump campaign for an "army" of poll …

Facebook Bans US Ads That Call Voting Fraud Widespread or Election Results Invalid
4 years, 2 months ago

Facebook Bans US Ads That Call Voting Fraud Widespread or Election Results Invalid

News 18  

Facebook Inc on Wednesday banned ads on its flagship website and Instagram photo and video sharing service that claim widespread voting fraud, suggest US election results would be invalid, or which attack any method of voting. The move came a day after US President Donald Trump used the first televised debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden to amplify his baseless …

Google to block political ads after US election polls close
4 years, 3 months ago

Google to block political ads after US election polls close

Al Jazeera  

The policy, which is designed to block all Google will halt election advertising after the polls officially close for the U.S. presidential election, the company said on Friday. The largest internet company said advertisers will not be able to run ads referencing candidates, the election or its outcome, according to an email viewed by Bloomberg News. “Given the likelihood of …

Twitter's New Rules Aim To Prevent Confusion Around The 2020 Vote
4 years, 3 months ago

Twitter's New Rules Aim To Prevent Confusion Around The 2020 Vote

NPR  

Twitter's New Rules Aim To Prevent Confusion Around The 2020 Vote Enlarge this image toggle caption Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images Twitter is putting new restrictions on election-related content, including labeling or removing posts that claim victory before results are official or attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. Sponsor Message Twitter said it …

Trump's Campaign Is Testing The Ways It Can Distort Reality Online
4 years, 3 months ago

Trump's Campaign Is Testing The Ways It Can Distort Reality Online

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The presidential election is just 56 days away, and as Donald Trump struggles to gain ground in key states, he is increasingly relying on deceptively altered media to bend reality in his favor. The “Trump War Room” Twitter account shared an out-of-context clip of Biden saying, “You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.” And on Facebook, …

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