YouTube CEO Says Platform Will Remove Coronavirus Content That Goes Against WHO Guidelines

YouTube CEO Says Platform Will Remove Coronavirus Content That Goes Against WHO Guidelines

In a recent interview with CNN, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said the platform will begin banning content that promotes any unproven or fake treatments for coronavirus. In addition, the platform will seek to block any content that "goes against" WHO guidelines on the pandemic.

YouTube has already banned videos that attempt to claim connections between 5G technology and coronavirus, with the latest move introducing more restrictions. In a recent interview with CNN, CEO Susan Wojcicki said the platform would remove "problematic" content related to the pandemic and "anything that is medically unsubstantiated" in an attempt to battle misinformation that places people at serious risk. For example, content that peddles unsubstantiated herbal cures for coronavirus will be removed. It is not clear how YouTube will police its massive library of content that grows substantially every day or where exactly it will draw the line given that health authorities are not in full agreement about some aspects of the pandemic, though the move seems designed more to combat extreme misinformation. Earlier this year, the company had announced plans to demonetize any videos discussing coronavirus, but it quickly went back on the decision after heavy resistance from the platform's creators. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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