When YouTube’s powerful recommendation algorithms steer users toward videos they dislike, the company encourages them to click the “Dislike” or “Not Interested” buttons to instruct YouTube’s software not to surface that type of content again.
However, according to a study published Tuesday by Mozilla, the foundation behind the Firefox web browser, those buttons do little to remove unwanted videos from the personalised recommendations that YouTube feeds to users. The study is based on data from over 20,000 people who voluntarily downloaded Mozilla’s RegretsReporter, a browser extension that allows Mozilla’s researchers access to people’s YouTube activity. The project’s goal is to bring transparency to the Google-owned video site’s recommendation software, which has been accused of pushing people toward conspiracy theories, disinformation, and other harmful content.
