Senators call on YouTube to remove election misinformation
A group of US Senate Democrats calls on YouTube to remove videos containing “false and misleading” information about the election, a sign of political condemnation usually reserved for social networks Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc.
In the letter to Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki on Monday, senators wrote they were “deeply concerned” about election misinformation on the site and asked YouTube to clarify its approach to political videos on the upcoming run-off. in the US Senate. in Georgia.
“These videos seek to undermine our democracy and cast doubt on the legitimacy of President-elect Biden’s new administration,” wrote Senators Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Gary Peters of Michigan. “Additionally, because the current president has not committed to a peaceful transition of power, disinformation and media content manipulated on your platform can fuel civil unrest.”
Hours of YouTube footage from right-wing media and solo broadcasters have surfaced in recent weeks, questioning election results and pushing unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. YouTube, a Google unit of Alphabet Inc., kept these clips, but said this often makes it harder for viewers to find them. The company added informational tags below the election videos, although critics have said these fact-checking efforts are not as robust as Twitter’s.
Senators also asked YouTube to share advertising revenue generated from videos showing election misinformation.
YouTube bans videos inciting violence, but has previously said it allows clips “expressing opinions” on the election result to remain on the site. Two weeks ago, the company said on Twitter that 88% of videos shown in election search results came from its list of “authoritative” publishers like CNN and Fox News.
Our teams are working around the clock to quickly remove content that violates our policies and make sure we connect people with authoritative information about the election, said Ivy Choi, a spokesperson for YouTube, in a statement. “Like other companies, we are allowing discussions on the results of this election and the vote counting process, and we continue to monitor new developments closely.”
Senators also asked YouTube to share advertising revenue generated from videos showing election misinformation.
Senate Republicans recently had Twitter and Facebook CEOs testify about their handling of the election. Google was not invited.
