How an ex-YouTube insider investigated its secret algorithm YouTube How an ex-YouTube insider investigated its secret algorithm The methodology Guillaume Chaslot used to detect videos YouTube was recommending during the election – and how the Guardian analysed the data Read the story: how YouTube’s algorithm distorts truth Guillaume Chaslot, an ex-Google software engineer, developed a program to scrutinise YouTube’s algorithm. Aggregate data revealing which YouTube videos are heavily promoted by the algorithm, or how many views individual videos receive from “up next” suggestions, is also withheld from the public. It then clicked on several search results (usually the top five videos) and captured which videos YouTube was recommending “up next”. The process was repeated thousands of times, collating more and more layers of data about the videos YouTube was promoting in its conveyor belt of recommended videos. When Chaslot’s program detected recommended videos after a “Trump” search, in contrast, 81% of partisan videos were favorable to Trump.

Source: The Guardian February 02, 2018 12:00 UTC