YouTube now counters misinformation with verified info panels in searches

YouTube will now provide info panels when users search for videos about COVID-19.

In a blog post published on Tuesday, the video giant detailed the expansion of its panels to the US, having debuted in Brazil and India last year.

Now, when users from the US search for content like “COVID and ibuprofen”, YouTube will provide links to independently verified fact checking sites with a small blurb providing the TL;DR.

“In 2018, we introduced information panels that help surface a wide array of contextual information, from links to sources like Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia for topics prone to longstanding misinformation (e.g. “flat earth” theories), or more recently, linking to the WHO, CDC or local health authorities for videos and searches related to COVID-19,” said YouTube.

The company believes that these panels will help address of misinformation that spawn during a fast-moving news cycle as we’re experiencing during the current pandemic.

YouTube doesn’t have a timeline for expansion to other countries, but it is “committed to our responsibility to protect the YouTube community”.

Feature image: Shereesa Moodley/Memeburn