Loading ...‘So Many Threats’: UK Outlines Plan to Control What Public Can See on YouTube – Dr. John Campbell
John Campbell, Ph.D., warned that a proposed U.K. media policy could give designated “trusted” news providers like the BBC an unprecedented advantage on YouTube and other platforms. “My concern is that the state is going to mandate what videos are promoted,” he said. Campbell argued the proposal raises important questions about political influence, censorship and who decides what information people see.
He said the proposal could fundamentally change how people discover videos. Instead of seeing content based primarily on their interests or what other viewers are watching, government-backed sources could receive preferential placement. “It wouldn’t be popularity that determines what videos become top of the YouTube feed, therefore most likely to be watched,” Campbell said. “It’s going to be the ones that the state mandates as appropriate for you because you can’t judge for yourself. … At least that’s the threat from this paper.”