YouTube to remove videos with false information about abortion
The move comes as women seek trustworthy pregnancy-related information online following the repeal of the right to abortion in many areas across the United States.
FollowYouTube announced on Thursday that it would begin removing videos containing false or dangerous claims about abortion to combat misinformation about the medical procedure.
The move comes as women seek trustworthy pregnancy-related information online following the repeal of the right to abortion in many areas across the United States.
A YouTube spokesperson told AFP in response to an inquiry that they believe connecting people to content from authoritative sources about health topics is important. They are constantly reviewing its policies and products as real-world events unfold.
"Under our medical misinformation policies, we will remove content that provides instructions for unsafe abortion methods or promotes false claims about abortion safety beginning today and ramping up over the next few weeks."
YouTube has stated that it will remove content such as instructions for unsafe at-home abortions and false claims about the procedure causing cancer or infertility from its platform globally.
YouTube has also stated that it will begin adding information from the National Library of Medicine to abortion-related videos or queries to provide reliable context.
The video streaming site is run by Alphabet-owned Google, which announced earlier this month that it would delete users' location history when they visit abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, and other places where privacy is desired.
A senior vice president at Google wrote in a blog post that their systems detect that someone has visited one of these locations, and instantly they will delete these entries from Location History.
The tech company's changes come after the US Supreme Court reversed its 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion, allowing a slew of states to ban or severely restrict the procedure and sparking nationwide protests.
Activists and politicians have urged Google and other tech giants to limit the data they collect to avoid it being used in abortion investigations and prosecutions.
Also Read:Â Pakistan government's official Twitter account withheld
Also Read:Â Preacher booked by cops in Kerala for hate speech on YouTube video
Also Read:Â Want to watch YouTube videos on your Apple Watch? Here's how you can do it
