Misinformation thrives on video site popular with far-right
Researchers say nearly 1 in 5 in five videos suggested by YouTube in response to a search for terms related to next week's elections contained misinformation
Election misinformation is thriving on Rumble, a video sharing platform popular with some conservatives and far-right groups, according to research published Thursday.
Nearly half of the videos suggested by the site in response to searches for common election-related terms contained misinformation, according to the analysis from NewsGuard, a firm that monitors online misinformation.
The percentage was far better at Rumble's much larger rival YouTube, where about 1 in 5 videos were found to contain misinformation after researchers ran the same searches. The search terms included the names of candidates as well as politically sensitive words and phrases such as gun rights, voter fraud and abortion.
The findings illustrate how alternative platforms like Rumble have become hot spots for election-related misinformation as they have increased in popularity. The site is popular with conservatives and some far-right groups critical of content moderation efforts by larger platforms such as YouTube.
