YouTube says it removed more than 1 million videos containing what it classified as dangerous COVID-19 misinformation during the pandemic, highlighting the platform’s efforts to curb false health claims.
The announcement came in a company blog post published in August 2021 as major social media platforms faced mounting criticism from political leaders over the spread of misinformation and disinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to YouTube, the removed videos contained content the platform determined could cause real-world harm, including false claims about COVID-19 treatments and assertions that the pandemic was a hoax.
“Since February of 2020, we’ve removed over 1 million videos related to dangerous coronavirus information, like false cures or claims of a hoax,” YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan said in the post.
The Google-owned platform said its moderation policies relied on what it described as expert consensus from public health organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.
At the same time, the company acknowledged that determining what constitutes misinformation can become more difficult as scientific understanding evolves.
“Misinformation is less clear-cut” in some instances, Mohan wrote, noting that new facts can emerge over time.
He said YouTube’s policies focus on removing content that can “directly lead to egregious real world harm.”
Beyond removing videos, the company said it has also worked to elevate information from what it considers authoritative sources when users search for news or health-related topics.
“When people now search for news or information, they get results optimized for quality, not for how sensational the content might be,” Mohan said.
According to the company, YouTube removes approximately 10 million videos every quarter for a variety of policy violations.
Mohan said the majority of those videos receive fewer than 10 views before being removed, per VOA.
He added that while quickly removing harmful content remains important, the company believes promoting reliable information is equally critical.
“Speedy removals will always be important but we know they’re not nearly enough,” Mohan wrote. “The most important thing we can do is increase the good and decrease the bad.”
YouTube also said it expanded its efforts beyond COVID-19 content by enforcing policies related to election misinformation.
The company reported removing thousands of videos that violated its election misinformation rules following the November 2020 U.S. election.
According to YouTube, roughly three-quarters of those videos were taken down before reaching 100 views.
The announcement underscored the growing role social media companies have played in moderating online content during major public health emergencies and elections, as technology platforms continue to face scrutiny over how they balance misinformation enforcement with public access to information.
