YouTube to redirect users from IS videos to a different playlist
Videos that will divert viewers to watch playlists denouncing terrorism. Photo: YouTube
(Web Desk) - Youtube has announced that soon anyone searching for videos related to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) will be redirected to a specially organised playlist.
The playlist will include music videos that denounce terrorism and violence, BBC reported.
YouTube said it wanted to help prevent people being radicalised by debunking the ideology propagated by the terrorist group.
The company told the BBC that uploading IS propaganda was already against its terms and conditions.
In a blog post, the video-streaming giant said it was implementing ideas from the Redirect Method, a campaign that tries to steer the IS audience towards videos that debunk the group s recruitment tactics.
The music videos aim to target the propaganda spread by IS by claiming itself as a systematic organisation that provides good governance, is a strong military force, and that world powers are conspiring to harm Muslims.
Video on Youtube, shows footage showing a long queue for food in an IS controlled area. Screengrab: YouTube
Rather than producing new material, the playlists contain videos already uploaded to YouTube that present an opposing point of view, such as:
•testimony from people who have left IS, describing what life in the group was really like
•footage of a suffering elderly lady confronting two IS fighters and telling them to "return to the way of God"
•speeches by imams denouncing violence and extremism
•footage from inside IS-controlled areas, showing the reality of life there
YouTube said such content was already against its terms and conditions and was removed when discovered.
The Redirect Method says pre-existing videos, rather than specially commissioned content, are more effective because they are seen to be more trustworthy.
One of the YouTube (diverting) videos that shows an older lady confronting the so-called IS fighters. Screengrab: YouTube
"Media created by governments or Western news outlets can be rejected on face value, for a perception of promoting an anti-Muslim agenda," the organisation says in its methodology.
YouTube told the BBC that it would begin redirecting users searching for particular terms in English, but would later add other languages including Arabic.
Algorithms will help determine whether other search keywords need to be included in the scheme, and the company will monitor whether people are engaging with the curated playlists.
According to the company s policy, anyone searching for terrorist propaganda would be redirected, even if the users include academics and journalists.
