Google has developed a new method that will redirect users from extremist content, the Google-owned video platform announced on Thursday. The new feature is called the Redirect Method and redirects the user from videos containing extremist content to a playlist of materials that provide counterarguments to the terrorist propaganda and harmful ideology. Such materials aim to debunk the ideologies that certain extremist groups want to spread. YouTube users will see this new feature in action once they enter certain keywords that may usually lead them to extremist content. The video streaming service will display a playlist of videos in its search results which may thwart the efforts of violent groups to recruit impressionable individuals to their cause.
This new method was developed through the search giant’s Jigsaw project alongside Moonshot CVE. Moonshot CVE is an organization comprised of a group of experts in the fields of data analytics and counter-terrorism. It aims to assist in the development of counter-messaging campaigns against violent extremism and terrorism. The organization’s focus on data in the development of anti-extremism campaigns should blend well with Google’s expertise in machine learning and artificial intelligence, or at least that’s what Alphabet’s subsidiary is hoping. The assistance provided by Moonshot CVE will certainly help Google’s Jigsaw in accomplishing its goal of developing necessary technologies that should help tackle some of the key geopolitical challenges that the world is currently facing.
The redirect technique is just one of many different efforts on Google’s part to combat extremist content and more such solutions are likely to be launched in the coming months. At this point, Google is working on expanding the list of search results where the playlist of anti-extremist content will be shown to include phrases or words in languages other than English. Moreover, Google is also collaborating with several non-government organizations to develop video content that the tech giant could add to its growing playlist. There are also plans to expand the redirect solution to Europe, where it is facing intense scrutiny and possible sanctions over some hate speech and extremist content found on its video streaming service. Google’s machine learning technologies will also be utilized in order to automatically expand the list of keywords that will display the curated list of anti-extremist videos.