Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How fake accounts pushing inflammatory content went viral - with the help of YouTube's algorithms

How fake accounts pushing inflammatory content went viral - with the help of YouTube's algorithms

YouTube channels posing as American news outlets racked up millions of views on false and inflammatory videos over several months this year, all with the help of YouTube's recommendation engine.
Many of the accounts, which mostly used footage from CNN, but also employed some video from Fox News, exploited a YouTube feature that automatically creates channels on certain topics. Those topic channels are then automatically populated by videos related to the topic - including, in this case, blatant misinformation. YouTube has now shut down many of the accounts.

YouTube's own algorithms also recommended videos from the channels to American users who watched videos about US politics. That the channels could achieve such virality - one channel was viewed more than two million times over one weekend in October - raises questions about YouTube's preparedness for tackling misinformation on its platform just weeks before the Iowa caucuses and points to the continuing challenge platforms face as people try to game their systems.

In recent years, YouTube, which is owned by Google, has taken steps to increase the likelihood users will be recommended videos from what it determines as authoritative sources, like news outlets.

Plasticity, a San Francisco natural language processing and artificial intelligence startup that gathered and analyzed the YouTube data, provided CNN with hundreds of examples of how the accounts had doctored on-screen graphics to make stories appear inflammatory.

YouTube told CNN Business on Thursday that its threat analysis team had investigated and determined the channels were run from Southeast Asia and were part of a spam campaign, designed to make money from online ads. The company said it found nothing to suggest that the channels were linked to a state-backed campaign or that they were part of a coordinated influence campaign. Although Plasticity and CNN saw hundreds of videos that were about news and politics, YouTube said they removed many more videos that were entertainment clips.

To help their videos go viral the person or people behind the YouTube channels created hundreds of false images that altered CNN's on-screen graphics to make stories and CNN's coverage of them appear inflammatory. Once the user clicked into the video, unaltered CNN footage would play.

One video was promoted using an image that falsely made it appear as if CNN had run an on-screen graphic that stated the "President is a disgrace" and showed a doctored image of President Trump with a noose around his neck.

Another image showed a fake CNN on-screen graphic that read "War officially started!" and showed pictures of President Trump and the president of Iran.

Responding to the findings on Thursday, a CNN spokesperson said YouTube needs to take responsibility.

"Manipulation of our brand and intellectual property with the specific intent to misinform the public is an incredibly serious problem that platforms need to urgently address," the spokesperson said. "Platforms like YouTube bear a responsibility to manage the integrity of the content they deliver to audiences. That's something journalists know and have been doing effectively for generations. It's a core difference between platforms and publishers."

A spokesperson for Fox News declined to comment.

"Unfortunately, reuploading content with sensationalist thumbnails is a common tactic spammers use in an attempt to attract views and revenue," a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to CNN Business on Thursday. "We use a combination of machine learning and human review to identify and remove spam accounts, last quarter alone we removed nearly 5 million videos and 3 million channels for spam violations. We've taken action against these accounts and will continue our work to remove spam from the platform."

YouTube said it had already shut down many channels prior to Plasticity's findings -- but used information provided to them by the firm to shut down 25 more.

Social media platforms have been plagued with fake accounts targeting Americans. Some are run by nation states, like Russia and Iran, for geopolitical or ideological purposes. Other accounts are run by scammers and people trying to make a quick buck through online ads.

But while their motivations may be different, scammers and nation state actors use similar playbooks, pushing content that focuses on divisions in American politics and society.

Darren Linvill, an associate professor at Clemson University who reviewed Plasticity's data, told CNN Business that, regardless of the motives of the people behind the channels, it is the effect that matters.

Linvill pointed to the polarizing, false, and inflammatory thumbnails and captions used on the YouTube channels discovered by Plasticity as an example of how scammers, spammers and nation state actors are using similar techniques and focusing on the same divisive issues.

"The roots of this are the same," he said, "it's about how you communicate with people and get them to pay attention to you online."

Plasticity began monitoring the fake accounts at the end of November after Ajay Patel, one of Plasticity's co-founders, noticed YouTube was repeatedly recommending he watch videos from the channels.

Over the course of just one week, Plasticity said, it found more than two dozen YouTube channels that had more than 8 million views combined that were posting US news videos with false and misleading thumbnails and titles.

In October, CNN Business observed a channel using similar tactics. YouTube's own algorithms recommended users watch videos on some of the channels, according to a CNN Business review in October of data from AlgoTransparency, a tool that tracks what YouTube recommends.

"The professionalism of the operation surprised me. It felt like a round-the-clock operation putting out new content with fake thumbnails and headlines every few hours," Patel told CNN Business Thursday. "When accounts were deleted or banned, they were able to spin up new accounts within hours. The tactics they used to game the YouTube algorithm were executed perfectly. They knew what they were doing,"

Plasticity reported its findings to YouTube and subsequently briefed representatives from the company by phone. YouTube removed the channels Plasticity identified.

Plasticity and CNN Business found some evidence to suggest, but did not confirm, some of the accounts posting the videos had been potentially stolen from other YouTube users and repurposed. YouTube declined to comment on this.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×