YouTube demonetizes anti-vaccination channels – TechSpot



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In context: YouTube continues to fight inappropriate, dangerous or otherwise wrong content that violates its terms of use. More recently, channels promoting the fight against vaccination, alternative and holistic medicine or other forms of pseudoscience have been demonetized and prevented from showing ads. This news follows the recent controversy over the exploitation of children on the platform.

YouTube said Friday that it would prevent channels offering anti-vaccination content from showing ads, claiming that the content was strictly part of its policy of banning the monetization of videos containing "dangerous" content. and prejudicial ".

Recently, BuzzFeed News asked questions about recommendations based on YouTube-based algorithms, YouTube's algorithm for sending anti-vaccination videos after viewing content related to vaccination. More importantly, many anti-vaccination videos were monetized with advertisements. Subsequently, many advertisers fired their ads as a result of the BuzzFeed survey.

Strict rules govern the videos on which we allow the broadcast of ads. Videos promoting anti-vaccination content violate these rules. We apply these rules vigorously and if we find a video that violates them, we take immediate action and remove the ads, "said a YouTube spokesperson in an email sent to BuzzFeed News.

Seven advertisers said they were unaware that their ads were running alongside anti-vaccine content found on channels such as VAXXED TV, LarryCook333 and iHealthTube, all of which were demonized by YouTube. Some companies, such as Vitacost, have promised to completely stop buying programming media on YouTube after their ads have run alongside running children's videos. YouTube has also recently been blamed for the rise of the flat Earth movement.

Last year, YouTube removed millions of videos and channels for spam, scams, extreme content or conspiracy theories.

The most notable was the removal of Alex Jones, the infamous InfoWars host and right-wing conspiracy theorist. Recently, lawmakers lobbied high-tech companies such as Facebook and Google to prevent the spread and perpetuation of false dangerous information, with representative Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, writing an open letter to the director of Google, Sundar Pichai.

YouTube had previously indicated that it was working on implementing algorithmic changes in its Up Next category to combat content related to misinformation and conspiracy theory. Among the changes, YouTube said that they "will be incremental and more and more accurate over time".

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