Mozilla Study Alleges YouTube Search Algorithm Violates Own Policies: WSJ

Mozilla Foundation’s research found that Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL YouTube’s recommendation engine continues to direct viewers to videos that showed false claims and sexualized content, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The platform’s algorithms suggested that 71% of the videos were objectionable, Mozilla reports.
It also pointed to loopholes in YouTube’s efforts to steer users to videos based on viewership patterns instead of the viral videos.
The objectionable videos included a sexualized parody of “Toy Story” and an election video falsely suggesting Microsoft Corp MSFT founder Bill Gates hired students involved with Black Lives Matter to count ballots in battleground states.
YouTube later removed 200 flagged videos which got over 160 million views before removing them.
YouTube elaborated on its efforts to counter the issue. The recommendation algorithm helped to generate $19.7 billion in revenue for 2020. Human moderators did not screen the daily uploads before going live for cost control.
The policing algorithms have reduced inappropriate content by 70% since 2019. The company surveys also proved user satisfaction regarding its recommendations.
Mozilla’s Firefox internet browser competed with Alphabet’s Chrome browser. A browser-related licensing agreement accounted for over half of Mozilla Foundation’s funding.
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