(July 7, 2021) -- YouTube’s controversial algorithm is recommending videos considered disturbing and hateful that often violate the platform’s ver

Mozilla Investigation: YouTube Algorithm Recommends Videos that Violate the Platform’s Very Own Policies

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2021-07-08 11:30:07

(July 7, 2021) -- YouTube’s controversial algorithm is recommending videos considered disturbing and hateful that often violate the platform’s very own content policies, according to a 10-month long, crowdsourced investigation released today by Mozilla. The in-depth study also found that people in non-English speaking countries are far more likely to encounter videos they considered disturbing.

Mozilla conducted this research using RegretsReporter, an open-source browser extension that converted thousands of YouTube users into YouTube watchdogs. People voluntarily donated their data, providing researchers access to a pool of YouTube’s tightly-held recommendation data. The research is the largest-ever crowdsourced investigation into YouTube’s algorithm.

“YouTube needs to admit their algorithm is designed in a way that harms and misinforms people,” says Brandi Geurkink, Mozilla’s Senior Manager of Advocacy. “Our research confirms that YouTube not only hosts, but actively recommends videos that violate its very own policies. We also now know that people in non-English speaking countries are the most likely to bear the brunt of YouTube’s out-of-control recommendation algorithm.”

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