Hindu nationalist groups, including supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party, had allegedly misused video hosting giant YouTube to target Muslims and women across the country using conspiracy theories and threatening videos, found a recent report by NYU Stern School of Business and Human Rights.The report, titled ‘A Platform “Weaponised”: How YouTube Spreads Harmful Content – And What Can Be Done About It’, looked at how the Google-owned platform has been consistently abused to spread political and health-related disinformation, along with content that incited violence. It also provides a series of recommendations to YouTube to make the platform a safer place for its viewers, and to reduce its potential for abuse.While a major portion of the report discusses the issues pertaining to the United States, it does include a considerable section dedicated to the observations on how the platform has been weaponised in India – the companies biggest market globally with about 450 million users.A Dichotomy Of Better Access, And Harmful ContentYouTube has been a boon for many independent journalists, entertainers, musicians, and many others around the world, by removing the barriers to entry in the television industry. The ease of putting videos online at will, has also led to a surge in…
Read More
YouTube Weaponised By India's Right Wing To Target Muslims, Women: NYU Stern Report
