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posted by Fnord666 on Friday September 25 2020, @03:40AM   Printer-friendly
from the sudden-exposure dept.

Mozilla needs your help to expose YouTube's recommendation algorithm:

YouTube's recommendation algorithm drives more than 70% of the videos we watch on the site. But its suggestions have attracted criticism from across the spectrum.

A developer who's worked on the system said last year that it's "toxic" and pushes users towards conspiracy videos, but a recent study found it favors mainstream media channels and actively discourages viewers from watching radical content.

Mine, of course, suggests videos on charitable causes, doctoral degrees, and ethical investment opportunities. But other users receive less noble recommendations.

If you're one of them, a new browser extension from Mozilla could offer you some insights into the horrors lurking "Up next."

[...] After installing the RegretsReporter and playing a YouTube video, you can click the frowning face icon in your browser to report the video, the recommendations that led you to it, and any extra details on “your regret.” Mozilla researchers will then search for patterns that led to the recommendations.

[...] Alternatively, if you'd prefer to block the toxic temptations served up the algorithm, you can use another Chrome extension called Nudge to remove YouTube recommendations.


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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 25 2020, @07:23PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 25 2020, @07:23PM (#1056899)

    Try youtube-dl. Avail for linux, MS - idk about BSD or ios/osx.

    Never watch an ad from youtube again. Play at whatever speed yout tell your native player to play at. Etc.

    1000x better. I haven't used the youtube.com website for plural years now.

    Reminds me, time to donate beer money to the youtube-dl devs! :moseys off:

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 26 2020, @12:27AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 26 2020, @12:27AM (#1057007)

    It's pure Python, so it should work anywhere with an interpreter and proper parts of the standard library.