YouTube begins verifying health workers in UK to curb misinformation

London: Google owned YouTube on Friday said it has launched a verification system for healthcare workers in the UK in a bid to curb the spread of misinformation and fake medical news on its platform.

Vishaal Virani, lead of health content for YouTube, told the BBC that it was important owing to a vast number of people now accessing healthcare information on the platform.

In 2022, health videos were viewed more than three billion times in the UK alone on the video-sharing platform.

"Whether we like it or not, whether we want it or not, whether the health industry is pushing for it or not, people are accessing health information online," he was quoted as saying.

"We want to create an environment where those who are experts, who are authorities, are able to elevate the content that they are creating,” he added.

The healthcare professionals were validated through a "multi-step process" based on collaboration with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) and the NHS, along with other stakeholders such as the Royal College of Nursing.

Successful applicants will have a badge under their name identifying them as a genuine, licensed healthcare worker, according to the report.

When people search for a health topic on YouTube now, the top of the search results will show a “health shelf,” which is labelled to be from health sources.

The videos which populate that list will be those from authoritative sources which have been validated by YouTube, according to the report.

The company had banned disinformation about vaccinations two years ago amid the Covid-19 pandemic.