Sixteen percent of the 100 videos most watched in connection with the term "global warming" contain false information, denounces this Thursday a report by the NGO Avaaz, which aggregates petitions.
In all, YouTube would have directed several million users to videos denying climate change, accused the American NGO, which called for an end to the "free promotion of disinformation" on the platform.
Avaaz also asked YouTube to remove any misinformation on climate change from its recommendations and to ensure that this content does not earn money from advertisements. The association also wants YouTube to collaborate with fact-checkers and post correction notices on videos containing false information about climate change.
Research dominated by National Geographic, NASA ...
In response, YouTube has assured that it is doing its utmost to minimize "problematic" video content and, conversely, highlighting authoritative sources, as well as posting boxes on research related to climate change and to other subjects.
AFP research on YouTube with the term "global warming" did indeed yield a results page topped by a box containing a Wikipedia summary of the subject and a link to the page of the online encyclopedia.
The list of suggested videos on the subject was dominated by sources such as National Geographic, NASA, TED and major news organizations (CBS, PBS, Sky News and AFP). "We prioritize authoritative sources for millions of searches and provide informative links on subjects that could lead to misinformation - including climate change - to provide context," said YouTube.
No question for YouTube to opt for censorship
On the other hand, the video sharing platform belonging to Google defended its position: as much as it will continue to remove hateful, violent or fraudulent content, it is out of the question that it censors content that does not violate its rules.
"Our recommendation systems are not designed to filter or demote videos or channels based on specific views," argued YouTube. She recalled having "invested significantly in reducing recommendations for problematic content and misinformation, and in increasing recognized sources". According to YouTube, in 2019, consumption on YouTube of content from authoritative sources increased by 60%.
Several brands committed to curbing disinformation
Avaaz, which claims to "allow citizens to influence global political decisions", said it stripped YouTube research using the terms "global warming", "climate change" and "climate manipulation" to see what additional content the platform offered ("Up Next" button and suggestion bar).
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The proportion of potentially misleading videos climbed to 21% for the term "climate manipulation" but fell to 8% with the title "climate change", said the NGO.
"YouTube offers factually inaccurate videos that may confuse people about one of the biggest crises of our time," the NGO said in a statement. She recalls that Samsung, L'Oréal, Danone as well as environmental groups Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have called on YouTube to curb climate disinformation, said Avaaz.
