A network of fake YouTube channels has amassed over 1.2 billion views in just one year, spreading anti-Labour propaganda and misinformation that has garnered tens of millions of subscribers and over 56,000 videos.
The channels, many of which were created using cheap AI tools, have used alarming rhetoric, fabricated stories, and British narrators to attract viewers, with Keir Starmer being personally targeted in the content. The Prime Minister was mentioned in video titles or descriptions over 15,600 times.
The research, conducted by Reset Tech, a non-profit group, found that these channels were part of a global trend to produce synthetic propaganda on YouTube. While some videos were removed from the platform after being flagged by the Guardian, many others remained up, with some creators producing tens or hundreds of similar videos without being deplatformed.
The fake channels have been detected in multiple countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Poland, targeting other politicians or issues. The study found that Russian-speaking creators were behind some of these channels, which were likely driven by opportunistic creators looking to profit from political division over issues like immigration.
Labour Party officials have expressed concern over the rise of fake news online, citing its threat to democracy. "The public will be rightly alarmed that democratically elected leaders and institutions are being undermined by bad faith foreign state actors and those seeking to profit from misinformation," a spokesperson said.
YouTube has responded to the issue, stating that it takes steps to enforce its community guidelines consistently, regardless of political viewpoint or content generation method. However, critics argue that the platform's business model creates an in-built tension between enforcing policies and reducing the spread of malicious content that drives revenue.
The company is now working with Reset Tech over its findings, and has removed more than 2.1 million channels for violating its community guidelines. Ministers have formed an online advertising taskforce to address the issue, but many are calling for faster action from YouTube to tackle this threat to public trust.
The channels, many of which were created using cheap AI tools, have used alarming rhetoric, fabricated stories, and British narrators to attract viewers, with Keir Starmer being personally targeted in the content. The Prime Minister was mentioned in video titles or descriptions over 15,600 times.
The research, conducted by Reset Tech, a non-profit group, found that these channels were part of a global trend to produce synthetic propaganda on YouTube. While some videos were removed from the platform after being flagged by the Guardian, many others remained up, with some creators producing tens or hundreds of similar videos without being deplatformed.
The fake channels have been detected in multiple countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Poland, targeting other politicians or issues. The study found that Russian-speaking creators were behind some of these channels, which were likely driven by opportunistic creators looking to profit from political division over issues like immigration.
Labour Party officials have expressed concern over the rise of fake news online, citing its threat to democracy. "The public will be rightly alarmed that democratically elected leaders and institutions are being undermined by bad faith foreign state actors and those seeking to profit from misinformation," a spokesperson said.
YouTube has responded to the issue, stating that it takes steps to enforce its community guidelines consistently, regardless of political viewpoint or content generation method. However, critics argue that the platform's business model creates an in-built tension between enforcing policies and reducing the spread of malicious content that drives revenue.
The company is now working with Reset Tech over its findings, and has removed more than 2.1 million channels for violating its community guidelines. Ministers have formed an online advertising taskforce to address the issue, but many are calling for faster action from YouTube to tackle this threat to public trust.
these fake channels are like everywhere nowadays, it's crazy how easy it is to create and spread misinformation online. 1.2 billion views in just one year? that's wild, must be a lot of suckers who fell for the propaganda 
. and it's not just Labour Party officials who are worried, I think most people are getting tired of fake news and are like "come on YouTube do something about this" 
. gotta wonder how many real politicians are being targeted by these channels, and what kind of influence is that gonna have on the election? 
its insane that some ppl are already getting away with it tho, like what's the point of having rules if nobody enforces them? 
. I feel bad for Keir Starmer, though - he's a public figure and can't just ignore the hate. The thing is, these channels aren't just about politics; they're also spreading misinformation on other topics too 
. Ugh, it's such a mess... 
it's crazy that Keir Starmer was targeted so many times, it's like they're trying to fuel the fire of misinformation 
and yeah I know YouTube says they're taking steps but 2.1 million channels removed? that's not even a drop in the bucket compared to all these fake channels out there 
what's more frustrating is that creators are just raking in the views and subs from this kind of content 
The fact that YouTube has taken down millions of channels is a good start, but we need to see more action from them to stop this kind of thing from happening again. We can't just sit back and let people profit from spreading bad news - it's our responsibility as citizens to stand up for what's right! 
I mean, Keir Starmer being mentioned over 15k times? That's just ridiculous. 
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... Like who needs fact-checking when you can just crank out AI-generated propaganda and rake in the views? 
... Can't wait to see how this whole thing unfolds, I'm sure it'll be a wild ride 
the fact that Russian-speaking creators are behind some of these channels is really concerning, i mean we already have enough problems with state-sponsored propaganda online...