YouTube Implements Stricter Policies to Remove Medical Content Contradicting WHO Guidelines

YouTube will remove medical content that contradicts the WHO. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

YouTube is implementing significant policy changes, such as adjusting its guidelines to effectively address medical misinformation on the platform to ensure that online content does not pose a risk to public health.

The goal of this video app is to ensure that it does not become a vehicle for the distribution of harmful information. And that is why it will simplify dozens of existing erroneous medical content guidelines to include them in three categories:

– Misinformation about prevention: Content that contradicts the guidelines of the health authorities regarding the prevention and transmission of specific diseases will be removed.

-Treatment misinformation: Information that contradicts health authority guidelines regarding treatment of specific medical conditions will be removed, including promotion of specific harmful substances or practices, such as supporting the use of cesium chloride as a treatment for cancer.

– Misinformation with denial: Content that denies the existence of specific medical conditions, such as information that denies that people have died from COVID-19, will be removed.

YouTube cracks down on videos promoting “harmful or ineffective” cancer treatments (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

These guidelines seek to offer greater clarity and transparency in YouTube’s evaluation of medical content, which is why its new policies will come into force if cases are detected under the following cases:

– They are linked to situations of high risk to public health.

– They contradict the guidelines established by the World Health Organization and other global health authorities.

– They are related to topics prone to being the subject of false or malicious content.

Measures against videos with magic cures against cancer

Because cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, YouTube is taking steps to remove content that promotes “harmful or ineffective” cancer treatments, or discourages patients from seeing medical specialists.

The platform mentions as examples those that ensure that garlic cures cancer, or that vitamin C is better than radiotherapy.

YouTube will simplify its guidelines to deal with misinformation related to medical issues (Reuters)

And although certain videos that may include incorrect information about the disease will not be removed, such as personal testimonials, their visibility will be limited to prevent users under a certain age from seeing them, or a context panel will be added with information additional next to the player.

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In addition, the platform will also share a playlist with quality videos from proven sources, and will publish new content in collaboration with the renowned Mayo Clinic in the United States.

YouTube will remove videos that promote “harmful or ineffective” cancer treatments. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/

YouTube ensures that its restructuring and unification of criteria to combat misinformation intends to establish a policy that will last over time. Although it is not the first time that the service takes drastic measures to end this problem. In 2020, it banned videos with false information about COVID-19 vaccines, and in 2021 it expanded the measure to content about all types of vaccines.

While at the end of last year it began to certify the publications of doctors, nurses, psychologists and other professionals, to facilitate access to reliable content on health and well-being.

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In fact, in the case of cancer treatments, YouTube won’t just remove material it deems to be false or malicious. The platform will also share a playlist with quality videos from proven sources, and will publish new content in collaboration with the renowned Mayo Clinic in the United States.

2023-08-16 23:03:26
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