YouTube Tests Viewer-Added Notes to Provide More Context and Information

YouTube / Notes

YouTube is experimenting with a feature that allows users to add notes that appear under videos, providing relevant, timely, and easy-to-understand context. Selected contributors will be invited to participate, and third-party evaluators will rate the usefulness of these notes. They will appear publicly if deemed broadly helpful.

Why It Matters: YouTube draws inspiration from X (formerly known as Twitter), which has a similar feature called Community Notes designed to combat misinformation. While the effectiveness of X's feature remains unknown, YouTube sees value in leveraging its viewers to help fact-check, debunk misinformation, or simply provide additional context for videos. This is important not only because of a major election around the corner but also because of an increasingly AI-filled world.