Youtube’s suggestion algorithm constantly presents videos that viewers just want to forget for ease

YouTube also suggests viewing videos that are later removed by YouTube for breaking its own laws, and most flagged videos get more views.

YouTube responded that their survey showed that viewers were satisfied with the recommendations. YouTube also commented that the company has no way of verifying Mozilla’s data, insisting that it is always working to improve the recommendation algorithm, including 30 new changes to reduce the risk of negative videos last year. last.

YouTube is the largest online video source in the world, with more than 2 billion viewers per month, 1 billion hours per day. YouTube believes that the suggestion algorithm plays a significant role in 70% of this viewing time.

About 9% of videos that make viewers regret watching have been removed from YouTube. Videos can be removed for any number of reasons, including objectionable content or violation of copyright laws. Sometimes the poster himself removes it. However, the study confirmed that YouTube had removed a number of illegal videos that the site had previously suggested to watch.

Brandi Geurkink, Mozilla’s head of law and study author, commented: “This is absurd, the algorithm itself is against its own regulatory function.”

The study also found these videos to be more popular on YouTube. They get 70% more views than other videos.

Like other social networks, YouTube has long struggled with the task of maintaining a balance between free speech and control over harmful content, including misinformation, conspiracy theories, harassment, hate speech, mass murder, child abuse, etc. on a large scale.

The study is based on voluntary reports submitted through an extension that Mozilla developed for Chrome and Firefox browsers. Tens of thousands of people have downloaded this extension, and 1,662 people have posted at least one report of a video that they regret seeing out of a total of 3,362 reports from 91 countries between May and July 2020.

This study has several shortcomings such as the fact that the respondents were all part of the population who decided to participate instead of being randomized, and the evaluation criteria were not strictly moderated. This data comes mostly from desktop browsers so does not include mobile devices or smart TVs. Mobile devices contribute up to 70% of total YouTube viewing time.

Mozilla offers a few suggestions for you to improve YouTube suggestions including checking your YouTube and Google data settings and reviewing your video watch history to eliminate what you don’t want that could cause problems. influence future results.

Mozilla believes that YouTube and other platforms should hire third parties to evaluate the recommendation algorithm system, increase transparency in content standards, and allow users to control how personal data is used. by the algorithm, including the ability to opt-out of suggestion personalization.

In addition, Mozilla also recommends that the authorities require the platforms to provide information and tools for evaluating and censoring their algorithms. Authorities should ensure that application platforms understand the risks that come with creating systems that automate content delivery at scale.

Mozilla is the famous company that created the FireFox browser. Google, the parent company of YouTube, is one of the biggest sources of revenue for Mozilla thanks to the fee Google pays Mozilla to integrate the default Google search engine into Firefox.

According to CNET