📜New preprint📜
Deplatforming the far-right: An analysis of #YouTube and BitChute

We @JonasKaiser show that deplatforming is effective in minimizing the reach of far-right channels like Alex Jones & cannot be compensated on alternative platforms🧵
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf… Analysis of 11k channels shows that removal of channels (5.6%) is common on YouTube - reasons are not arbitrary but follow an intuitive logic -> far-right = prohibiting hate speech/ hip hop = counterfeit claims/ movies = sexual content

🧵Let's talk about the new #bot study by @BrownUniversity researchers that makes the rounds in media with scaremongering claims.
@sciam / @guardian have uncritically reproduced statements from the authors even though we should be extremely skeptical. Let me explain why: 1/7 Straight to the point: without having access to the user ids of the classified “bots” in their study we should question any claim they make. We (@JonasKaiser ) explain this our paper (journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…) about the false-positive problem of their approach. 2/7