Source: Jason England / Android Central
What you need to know
- YouTube has pledged $1 million to the Center for Police Equity amid protests in the U.S.
- The Center is a think-tank that has adopted a data-driven approach to tackling police brutality.
- YouTube's algorithm has been criticized as being a funnel towards white supremacist content.
As the protests against police brutality in the U.S. intensified over the weekend, YouTube made a move towards solidarity with the protests. The company announced a $1 million donation towards a non-profit aimed at tackling police racism and brutality in the community.
The organization in question is the Center for Policing Equity, a non-profit organization aimed at reducing the incidence of police brutality in the U.S.
"Center for Policing Equity can measure bias in policing. That means we can stop it," their home page reads, "1 in 5 Americans interacts with law enforcement yearly. Of those encounters, 1 million result in use of force. And if you're Black, you are 2-4 times more likely to have force used than if you are White. Reform can work. Working directly with police to measure behaviors and revise policies results in fewer people killed, and fewer people in jail."
While YouTube's donation is praiseworthy, the organization has also been roundly critiqued as sometimes serving as a funnel into white supremacy and extremism via its nebulously defined algorithm.
"[Y]ouTube has inadvertently created a dangerous on-ramp to extremism by combining two things: a business model that rewards provocative videos with exposure and advertising dollars, and an algorithm that guides users down personalized paths meant to keep them glued to their screens," the New York Times reported back in 2019.
As the comments on YouTube's Twitter announcement show, users have not forgiven, and they have certainly not forgotten.
From the Editor's Desk: Protest under assault
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G review: Ready for an adventure
Samsung seems to have an A-series flavor for every day of the week, and the Galaxy A42 is absolutely the flavor for lazy Sundays of binging shows in bed, even though you forgot to charge last night.
Here's when your Galaxy S21 will get Samsung's One UI 4.0 beta
Samsung's Android 12-based One UI 4.0 beta program for the Galaxy S21 series phones will begin sometime in September.
OnePlus Nord 2 vs. POCO F3 GT: Which should you buy?
The OnePlus Nord 2 and POCO F3 GT are two of the best options in the mid-range segment right now. With both devices featuring nearly identical hardware, let's take a look at what they have to offer, and which phone you should buy.
The best alternatives to Sony's popular WH-1000XM4 headphones
Sony's latest headphones may be the de-facto choice for active noise-canceling headphones, but other cans from brands like Bose and Bang & Olufsen could be a better choice.