PerspectiveNetflix’s Algorithms Seem to Be a New Entry Point for Conspiracy Theories. Be Aware!

When the spread of disinformation became a major topic of debate in late 2016, it was discussed mainly in reference to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. In the following months, serious problems related to the diffusion of pseudoscientific beliefs, conspiracy theories and disinformation emerged on YouTube and WhatsApp.  Until now, the popular video streaming service Netflix had managed to stay out of the picture. Not anymore.

Giovanni Zagni writes in Poynter that a successful recent documentary published on the platform casts doubt on the kind of content that can occasionally be found on Netflix. It calls into question the responsibility of a content provider with stronger editorial control over material published on its platform than Facebook or Twitter (Full disclosure: the author is the director of Pagella Politica, an Italian fact-checking project that partners with Facebook on its Third Party Fact-Checking program). “It is also a reminder that dubious content appears in as many forms and instruments as the internet has been able to popularize. Here is my story” she writes.