The logo of video sharing website YouTube is seen on a smartphone on November 19, 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
Thomas Trutschel | Phototek via Getty Images
YouTube said Thursday it is cracking down on videos that contain abortion misinformation and will remove videos deemed unsafe.
“Starting today and increasing over the next few weeks, we will remove content that provides instructions for unsafe abortion methods or promotes false claims about the safety of abortion under our medical misinformation policies,” the company said in a statement. I tweet.
Google, the parent of YouTube, has come under fire in recent months after a group of lawmakers began asking the company to clamp down on search results that allegedly direct people seeking abortion services to crisis pregnancy centers that oppose abortion. Google announced earlier this month that it will work to quickly delete location history for people who go to abortion sites and other medical sites after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“As with all of our policies on health/medical topics, we rely on guidelines published by health authorities,” YouTube said Thursday. “We prioritize connecting people with content from authoritative sources on health topics, and we constantly review our policies and products as real-world events unfold.”
The company said it is also launching a “info panel” to provide “viewers with context and information from local and global health authorities.” This will appear below abortion-related videos and above relevant search results.
YouTube provided one example how it will appear, showing a definition of abortion, according to the National Library of Medicine.
“Abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy,” the screen said. “It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and the placenta from the uterus. The procedure is performed by a licensed health care professional.”
The panel includes a link for people who want to “learn more” and instructions to “Consult your local medical authority for advice”.
YouTube has taken a similar approach to other controversial topics such as the Covid-19 pandemic and political elections. But it has been unusual for the company to announce that it will remove the videos altogether.
Implementation remains a big question. YouTube’s existing policy states that certain types of misleading or deceptive content that could cause harm in the real world are not allowed on the platform. Examples include the promotion of harmful remedies or treatments, certain types of technically manipulated content, or content that interferes with democratic processes.
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