YouTube quietly softened its content moderation rules
Kyiv • UNN
YouTube is easing moderation rules, prioritizing freedom of speech over the risk of harm. Now, videos of public interest may contain more content that was previously considered a violation.
The world's largest video platform, YouTube, is weakening its video moderation rules, urging moderators to prioritize "freedom of speech" over the risk of harm when removing videos. This is reported by UNN with reference to The New York Times.
Details
The policy change, which has not been publicly announced, has made YouTube the latest platform to abandon active control over online speech amid pressure from Republicans in the US, the publication writes. As noted, the update first appeared in December 2024 in training materials for moderators.
Now, videos of public interest may contain more content that was previously considered a violation. In particular, the permissible share of such content has increased from a quarter to half of the video. Examples include discussions of political, social and cultural issues, including city council meetings or campaign rallies.
"Recognizing that the definition of 'public interest' is constantly changing, we are updating our guidelines for these exceptions to reflect the new types of discussions we are seeing on the platform today. Our goal remains the same: to protect freedom of speech on YouTube while mitigating egregious harm," said YouTube spokeswoman Nicole Bell.
According to Bell, YouTube is canceling policies that no longer make sense, as in the case of Covid misinformation in 2023, and, conversely, strengthening them when justified - for example, this year it banned content leading to gambling sites.
YouTube allows content that formally violates the rules to remain if it has educational, documentary, scientific or artistic value. The platform reserves the right to interpret the rules and make exceptions in cases of public interest.
In December 2024, YouTube allowed the posting of videos of US presidential candidates even if there were policy violations, if the videos were deemed to be of public importance.
Addition
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, also suspended its fact-checking program in January, as evidence of a similar trend. The X platform has taken similar steps before.
Meghan A. Brown, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, said that such a policy change is a "reversal from the time when YouTube and other platforms decided that people could share political speeches, but still maintain some decency."