SmarterEveryDay on Youtube Video Algorithm Hacking

[jedishrfu]

SmarterEveryDay is posting a series of videos (this is the first one) on Youtube Video Identification hacking, what it is and how it affects what we see online. Its really good even though the notion of manipulating the Youtube algorithm is very disturbing.

 

[cosmik debris]

Well, that's an eye opener, I hope it isn't fake news.

Cheers

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The automation spam techniques are getting really difficult and annoying. Google and others are always playing catch up.

 

[jedishrfu]

Its a no win as you can see how asymmetric things are.

 

[sysprog]

It's an ad for a VPN service -- first it presents alarmist stuff about how youtube can get inundated with auto-generated content (and we are expected to think we should be concerned, because even smart math/engineering guys can't figure out how to get all of it automatically pre-censored out), then it tries to scare you with how you can be tracked by your ip address, then it presents a VPN service as the best countermeasure against online victimizers who use your ip address to target you.

I'm happy with the adequacy of my BS detector, and I'm not too ready to open my online wallet, but if you want more online privacy, even if you're not doing anything illegal or shameful, a good VPN can help; however youtube has many means other than ip addresses by which to tailor its recommended content.

In my opinion, as soon as it starts hawking the VPN service, this video loses almost all of any claim it might otherwise have had to being a legitimate expository piece.

 

[jedishrfu]

But I thought the theme of the video was the adversarial video attack on YouTube to promote fake news notions. This fits well with the vpn idea to mask your location and further protect you from being manipulated by fake stuff targeted to your geographical location.

In any event, many you tubers have taken to inserting in video adverts to supplement their channel and I see nothing wrong with that as the YouTube monetization scheme is constantly changing always in YouTube’s favor. It’s not unlike how Uber and others have been changing their coding to attract customers and to limit driver benefits.

 

[sysprog]

Advertisers on youtube can't independently use your ip address to target you geographically while you're merely watching youtube, because youtube doesn't send them that information, but youtube, which is part of the google empire, can and does. They can sell targeting to advertisers, including targeting to likely geolocations, but they don't have to do that by ip address.

The video decries people who try to spoof youtube's recommender systems, which are entirely designed to benefit youtube. When youtube tries to keep you watching youtube, they don't care as much what you watch, as they care that you watch, because to them, you are mainly a commodity -- higher viewership allows higher advertising rates, so the most popular vids command the highest ad rates, but if you go somewhere else, youtube doesn't win.

I'm not blaming video producers for getting ad revenue by having advertising interrupting their content, but it puts me off when the ad is introduced as part of the content. It makes it look as if the entire vid is just a vehicle for the ad. VPN purveyors are among the main offenders in this regard.

 

[jedishrfu]

I don’t disagree with what you say. I’m more concerned about the adversarial videos and bad actors that are using the internet and YouTube in particular as a means to manipulate, cause political unrest and defraud people.

At some point soon, either the world will fall into chaos or governments will clamp down on what we see in order to “protect us” from fake news and the mayhem it causes. In either event, we lose when others decide. Or we eschew all news channels and retire to the countryside and hope chaos doesn’t follow us there.

Why can’t people be good to their fellow humans?

 

[Tom.G]

Why can’t people be good to their fellow humans?

Because it's not in their short-term best interests. (Think con artists and some politicians.)

p.s. sorry for answereing a rhetorical... I just couldn't resist

 

[jedishrfu]

When you answer a rhetorical, you diminish its power and that's why you apologized for it.