YouTube will add Wikipedia snippets to conspiracy videos

YouTube videos focusing on conspiracy theories will now link to a snippet of information on the topic from Wikipedia.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki described the new feature during a session Tuesday at South by Southwest with Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of Wired.

"This has been a year of fake news and misinformation," she said.

YouTube will determine what exactly qualifies as a conspiracy, she said, based on a list of conspiracy theories on the Internet, such as arguments that NASA faked the 1969 moon landing.

"So YouTube will be sending people to text?" Thompson asked to some snickers from the audience.

YouTube will add Wikipedia snippets to conspiracy videos



The new Scarlet Letter.

Can't wait to see how this plays out.

Amazing.

Some of the most diligent researchers. Wrong group to pick on, IMHO.

a reply to: loam

Thank you for sharing this.

I have a feeling this won't affect "Secure Team", but will affect "Info Wars" and similar.

a reply to: loam

From the same site that tells me I can't watch a video until I 'prove' I'm 18...now going to tell me my conspiracy beliefs are fake with a user-edited source*

*see wiki article

It makes total sense in this crazy mixed up world.

Ok, now I believe that youtube is in fact biased to certain views.
Seems to be it's conspiracies that they don't like.
It will be interesting to see what conspiracies that youtube decides are fake?

I still support the right of a private business to do business as they choose.

We can all just stop using youtube if we don't like it. And that is the way it should be.

-Freedom

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Linking to a Wikipedia article doesn't mean they're calling your beliefs fake, it's just a tool to gather more information on the subject for those interested. Wikipedia could easily have information that correlates with or supports a conspiracy theory.

So YT thinks Wikipedia is a credible source? I recall we were absolutely BANNED from using wikipedia as any source in High School. The teachers would straight up laugh at you like "Okay, what's your next reference, SNOPES? hahahahahaha"

-Alee

So, youtube now wants to basically have a rebuttal for every video it doesn't agree with?

...and you thought the Russins were interfering with the election process.

Eric Arthur Blair>Michel de Nostredame

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

it's not Youtube is someone's belief's fake, it's they are deciding what IS fake

Like who killed Kennedy

Every Trump and Russia story is fake news

UFOs do they exist? If you say yes, and post, is it fake news?

On youtube's site, they get to play god, and that should scare you. Their opinions will become facts, especially since who edits wikipedia

a reply to: NerdGoddess
Many entities are big enough and powerful enough to make Wikipedia say whatever they want it too.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Linking to a Wikipedia article doesn't mean they're calling your beliefs fake, it's just a tool to gather more information on the subject for those interested. Wikipedia could easily have information that correlates with or supports a conspiracy theory.

My initial thoughts as well.

This could be a useful upgrade if properly implemented. Especially if they do it without blatantly obvious bias. I can't see much harm either way for those who do proper research and do not simply buy in to whatever a Youtuber is selling.

I'm looking forward to seeing how they go about this process. They already request every invasive permission possible on Android devices so this shouldn't add anything new there.

The [bracketed] "sources" and "references" in the wikis will be open targets at that point 😎

They have no idea what they're getting themselves into 😬

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

Linking to a Wikipedia article doesn't mean they're calling your beliefs fake, it's just a tool to gather more information on the subject for those interested. Wikipedia could easily have information that correlates with or supports a conspiracy theory.

Perhaps. Just call me cynical. I doubt youtube's decisions are made with benign intentions. GoogleFaceTube is not to be trusted.

a reply to: loam

there are alot of awful videos out there that make the craziest claims.

for adults with common sense and willing to research it is easily debunked, but for young children or the less smart i can see it being a good thing even if it is wiki, it's a starting point for research.

originally posted by: penroc3
a reply to: loam

there are alot of awful videos out there that make the craziest claims.

for adults with common sense and willing to research it is easily debunked, but for young children or the less smart i can see it being a good thing even if it is wiki, it's a starting point for research.

It should befall their parents, not youtube + wikipedia, to educate the children and help them learn how to determine what's real and unreal on the internet.

It's stupid, but as I said in my first post, it's a stupid kinda world we find ourselves in now so I'm not even slightly surprised.

a reply to: loam

google said they were going to do this. Their first obvious behavior modification idea was to put up isis ads and over a 5 ad sequence moderate your beliefs.

this was revealed at a brookings institute talk. Government guys were there saying "its so good the private sector is doing this now because they are under much less restriction than the federal gov."

phase 1 was ISIS..
phase 2 they mentioned targeting the "far right"
phase 3 they mentioned but didnt say who was the TA or target audience.

so thats google using ads as behavior modification.. Google owns youtube.. Its the same chit different way.

well, we shall see the information wars pick up even more.

We are already in a thick haze from ww2 and up through 9/11.. The more organized info armies win.

should be funny seeing the wiki page wars haha.
I have to laugh..
Dont mind me.

its also wikipedia and "other trusted sources."
I imagine snopes?

google sucks you in with freebies then no one can compete, then they data mine. they control the data and the mind. What a funny planet to live on.

ETA almost forgot to link wikipedia sorry

Wikipedia: Don't be Evil

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

yeah but that's not how the things always shake out. i see nothing wrong giving someone, child or adult a stepping stone to research/opposing views

Great, more internet homogenization.

I'm not sure what else to say. I stopped thinking for myself and Wikipedia does not have a dedicated page to inform me about how to respond.

/null

Hopefully, YouTube goes the way of the dinosaur soon. They are making some terrible decisions. This whole anti-conspiracy thing is bad enough...Not to mention the censoring of a boatload of users with differing views from them. I can't fathom how they aren't losing a ton of money over all this.

But using Wikipedia as a source??? Wikipedia is largely an opinion piece itself, written by people with opinions. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Wikipedia started banning anti SJW opinions, Hell it's happening everywhere else.

It's time to replace Youtube. They have gone off the deep end.

a reply to: Wookiep

youtube has changed the world.

as well as wiki, it might not be perfect but scientific topics have many many sources, and i don't think youtube is saying wiki is the start and end of someone's research. youtube isn't going anywhere they make too much money and so many people use it.

if you do proper research wiki can be a good jumping off point, most good scientific articles on it have tons of citations at the bottom of the page to papers in NATURE and publications like it.

why is it so bad to give someone a stepping stone to research?