We are talking about YouTube, as in the case of other services, social networks and, with increasing and disturbing frequency, also the media, withand translates into having to deal with clickbaitperhaps one of the most successful and annoying techniques used to attract the maximum possible audience, be it to a video, a tweet thread or a news story, which after reading turns out to have nothing to do with the headline, or even to say nothing at all.

Fortunately, YouTube decided to fix this problem. The largest video platform in the world announced so a new set of measures to combat extreme clickbait. The term includes titles and thumbnails that promise misleading content, often related to current news or sensitive events. These actions, while initially implemented in India, will be expanded to other countries in the coming months, although a calendar with specific dates for this expansion has not been released.

YouTube defines extreme clickbait as any deliberate attempt generate clicks through fake content or content that doesn’t match what the video actually offers. So we can understand that it creates a difference between clickbait that generates curiosity compared to that which implies different content (and generally much more attractive) than what they find when they consume the content. Not to mention, of course, clickbait used for disinformation purposes with headlines that suggest the exact opposite of the information they are supposed to present.

To fix the problem, YouTube will begin removing videos that violate these rules, albeit gradually. Creators will have an adaptation period to align their content with the new policies, while the platform will initially focus its oversight on new video uploads. This means that creators will not be retroactively penalized, but will be able to modify their practices without fear of immediate penalties.

This measure will undoubtedly bring to the fore again the eternal debate about freedom of speech and the alleged attacks on it. This is not a simple debate, and anyone at the extreme of one of these two positions will demonstrate that they have not stopped to think about all the implications of such a measure. Personally, I am inclined to defend this measure by YouTube, because it is undeniable that we live in a post-truth era, and this is terrifyingly dangerous. Now, Google will have to be completely transparent in taking these measuresbecause the opposite can also have completely perverse effects.