The feature was launched in India and Brazil in 2019.
YouTube has announced it’s expanding its fact-checking feature to the United States in the wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Writing on its official blog, the site shared that it would begin to show both text and link panels from third-party fact-checking sites to US viewers who utilise YouTube’s search option.
While the site would not specify how many search terms would prompt the feature, it did say there are factors that will determine if it will show up, writing:
“There are a few factors that determine whether a fact check information panel will appear for any given search. Most important, there must be a relevant fact check article available from an eligible publisher. And in order to match a viewer’s needs with the information we provide, fact checks will only show when people search for a a specific claim.”
Examples of such “specific” claims include “did a tornado hit Los Angeles” and “COVID-19 is a bio-weapon”.
In addition to the above, all articles used for fact-checking must also comply with the site’s Community Guidelines, with users able to send feedback to YouTube should they have any.
While YouTube is unable to publicly share the full list of fact-checkers, it has stated that more than a dozen US publishers are participating, including The Washington Post Fact Checker, FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.
In addition to expanding the feature, the site also announced it would be providing $1 million through the Google News Initiative to the IFCN (International Fact-Checking Network) to help “bolster fact-checking and verification efforts across the world”.
Want More?
YouTube is currently working on a feature which would allow creators to see when their audience is online. Alternatively, you could read about Facebook expanding its Messenger avatars across Europe.
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