This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
As the world's largest video-sharing platform, YouTube is under increasing scrutiny for its handling of hate speech, racism, and disinformation. In an interview with AFP, Neal Mohan, YouTube's chief product officer, acknowledged the need for a new set of rules and laws to combat these issues.
According to Mohan, YouTube has grown into a 'big city' with more 'bad actors' emerging, and as such, it requires a new regulatory regime. He emphasized the importance of adapting to make sure that hate speech and disinformation do not become rampant on the platform.
YouTube has faced criticism for being a haven for conspiracy theorists and Nazi and white supremacist groups. In June, the platform announced that it would ban videos promoting or glorifying racism and discrimination, as well as those denying well-documented violent events like the Holocaust.
Mohan noted that with 2 billion users visiting the platform every month, YouTube has a responsibility to take its role seriously. He emphasized the need for community guidelines to be updated and changed to reflect the complexities of modern online discourse.
The process of updating policies and enforcement regimes is complex, and Mohan warned against expectations of a rapid solution. He highlighted the importance of consulting with third-party experts and varying political leanings to come up with language that can be enforced.
YouTube also scrutinizes videos that consist of harassment, harmful and dangerous pranks, spam, and abuse, or threats to child safety. Mohan pointed out the problem of 'borderline' videos that can spread harmful misinformation without explicitly violating YouTube's rules.
He suggested that some sort of positive discrimination could be applied to authoritative sources like AFP or CNN, in exchange for providing interesting and engaging content. However, he emphasized that YouTube would not shut the door on those outside the mainstream media.
July 29, 2019 - YouTube's number two executive, Neal Mohan, has stated that the video-sharing platform needs a new set of rules and laws to combat hate speech, racism, and disinformation.
