YouTube’s algorithm pushes hateful content and misinformation: Report

Violent videos and misinformation are amplified by YouTube's algorithm, despite the company's rules meant to limit their spread, according to a Mozilla Foundation report published July 7.

The foundation — a nonprofit that advocates on privacy issues — found 71 percent of all videos that volunteers reported as disturbing were recommended by the video-sharing platform's algorithm. They included conspiracies about 9/11 and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the promotion of white supremacy.

Researchers also found that people in non-English speaking countries were more likely to encounter videos they considered disturbing, indicating that YouTube's efforts to better police its platforms have been uneven.

“YouTube’s algorithm is working in amplifying some really harmful content and is putting people down disturbing pathways,” said Brandi Geurkink, the foundation's senior manager of advocacy. “It really shows that its recommendation algorithm is not even functioning to support its own platform policies, it's actually going off the rails.”