According to Reclaim the Net, Google and YouTube have confirmed plans to censor content they deem to be “harmful” in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. Google noted that it is already censoring content deemed to be “manipulated media” or “hate and harassment.”
They will censor election coverage harmful to Democrats like they did with the Hunter laptop.
“These are the vague and broad, subjective terms that have been used by tech giants to justify mass censorship,” journalist Tom Parker wrote in an article for Reclaim the Net.
In its announcement, Google noted that it already censors content that it deems to be “manipulated media” or “hate and harassment” — two broad, subjective terms that have been used by tech giants to justify mass censorship.
However, ahead of 2024, the tech giant has started using large language models (LLMs) to experiment with “building faster and more adaptable” censorship systems that will allow it to “take action even more quickly when new threats emerge.”
Google will also be censoring election-related responses in Bard (its generative AI chatbot) and Search Generative Experience (its generative AI search results).
In addition to these censorship measures, Google will be continuing its long-standing practice of artificially boosting content that it deems to be “authoritative” in Google Search and Google News.
The video sharing platform will also boost videos from authoritative sources — a policy that resulted in independent creators being 14x less likely to be recommended on election-related content after the 2020 elections.
Additionally, YouTube will demonetize videos that it deems to contain “demonstrably false claims that could undermine trust or participation in elections.”
Outside of these direct censorship tactics, YouTube will label “altered or synthetic election content” that doesn’t violate any of its rules.
Make certain to check coverage on conservative aggregates.
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