YOUTUBE TO WARN USERS

YouTube will begin warning users before they post comments that may be offensive to other people, the company announced Thursday.

The new feature is part of the video-sharing platform’s efforts to address widespread racist and homophobic harassment targeted at creators by commenters and other accounts.

YouTube will also begin proactively asking users to provide demographic information in an effort to find patterns of hate speech “that may affect some communities more than others.”

The company last December beefed up its policy on harassment, saying it would be taking a stricter stance on “veiled or implied threats” moving forward.

The company touts that since the beginning of 2019 it has increased the number of daily hate speech comment renewals by 46-fold.

However, hateful content remains rampant on the platform.

The strategy of warning users that their comments may be offensive has been tested by other platforms.