YouTube is bringing its video search fact-checking feature to the United Kingdom and Germany, according to a CNBC report last Thursday, September 24. 

When a user searches for certain hot topics, such as the coronavirus pandemic and the elections, YouTube shows relevant information and links from its third-party fact-checkers. 

First rolled out in Brazil and India in 2019, the program was brought to the US in April 2020.

YouTube, like Facebook, has its own set of disinformation problems, ranging from flat earth conspiracy theories to anti-vaccination and political influence operations. YouTube suffers from the rabbit-hole phenomenon wherein its algorithm constantly delivers content to the user similar to what they were viewing, which ultimately has the potential to twist beliefs.  

CNBC reports that in the UK, its fact-check partners are the BBC and Full Fact; and in Germany, Correctiv and BR24.

In the article, a sample image shows a search for “tall people and COVID” as there are videos on YouTube correlating COVID vulnerability with height. But instead of just showing results, it also shows a highlighted fact-check from Full Fact that says “There is no proof you’re more likely to get COVID-19 if you’re tall” including a link for a longer explanation. 

CNBC quoted Ben McOwen Wilson, managing director for YouTube UK, who said the feature is “one of the many steps we are taking to raise up authoritative sources, to provide relevant and authoritative context, and to continue to reduce the spread of harmful misinformation.”

In an earlier report by The Verge, Neal Mohan, YouTube’s chief product officer is quoted saying “When users are searching on YouTube around a specific claim, we want to give an opportunity for those fact checks to show up right then and there, when our users are looking for information – especially around fast-moving, quickly changing topics like COVID-19.” 

In the US, The Verge reported there were more than a dozen US publishers participating in its fact-checking network FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post Fact Checker. Youtube’s fact-checking network is open to any publisher that is a member of the International Fact-Checking Network. 

The feature will be coming to more countries. Rappler has asked Google Philippines if the YouTube video search fact-checking feature will coming to the country. – Rappler.com