YouTube takes down video content with misleading information on COVID-19

YouTube continuously takes down videos that have "dangerous and misleading information" on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Google said in a blog post. 

It added that it'salready taken down thousands of videos.

"We continue to remove videos that promote medically unproven methods to prevent coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment," said the blog, which was published by CEO of Google and Alphabet Sundar Pichai.

In the same blog post, it said YouTube is using its homepage to direct users to videos from relevant health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"We're highlighting content from authoritative sources when people search for COVID-19, and inserting information panels to provide additional context from high-quality sources," the blog read.

A BBC report noted how Google Chief Executive Susan Wojcicki said YouTube had seen a 75 percent increase in demand for news from "authoritative sources."

The BBC report also said that Facebook users who have read, watched or shared false COVID-19 information will receive pop-up alerts, urging them to visit the World Health Organization (WHO) website.

Aside from banning misinformation on YouTube, Google has also been detecting several types of online scams that are gaining traction as the world battles the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. — Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News