‘Lost memories’: War crimes evidence threatened by AI moderation

A man rides a motorbike past damaged buildings in the rebel-held town of Nairab, Idlib region, Syria. YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter warned in March that videos and other content may be erroneously removed for policy violations, as the coronavirus pandemic forced them to empty offices and rely on automated takedown software. But those AI-enabled tools risk confusing human rights and historical documentation like Razzouk’s videos with problematic material like terrorist content – particularly in war-torn countries like Syria and Yemen, digital rights activists warned. — Reuters

NEW YORK/AMMAN: From bombings and protests to the opening of a new health centre, student journalist Baraa Razzouk has been documenting daily life in Idlib, Syria, for years, and posting the videos to his YouTube account.

But this month, the 21-year-old started getting automated emails from YouTube alerting him that his videos violated its policy, and that they would be deleted. As of this month, more than a dozen of his videos had been removed, he said.