To combat misinformation and enhance viewer understanding, YouTube is piloting a new feature called “notes.” This feature allows viewers to contribute contextual information to videos, providing additional clarity on confusing topics or the nature of the content itself.

Imagine watching a hilarious clip, only to wonder if it’s a genuine news snippet or a cleverly constructed parody. With notes, viewers can flag the video as a parody, adding a layer of context that benefits future viewers. Similarly, if a video uses outdated footage presented as recent events, notes can clarify the timeline, dispelling any potential confusion.

However, not just anyone can jump in and start writing notes. To ensure quality and prevent the spread of misinformation itself, YouTube has limited note-writing capabilities to a select group of users for now. These users are likely those with established YouTube channels who have a history of adhering to the platform’s community guidelines. Their contributions will then be evaluated by independent third-party experts who typically assess YouTube’s search results and recommendations.

This initial phase focuses on gathering data and refining the system. As the pilot progresses, YouTube plans to extend the functionality to viewers, allowing them to directly rate the helpfulness of existing notes. Options will include “helpful,” “somewhat helpful,” and “unhelpful,” along with an explanation for the chosen rating. This viewer feedback loop will be crucial in training YouTube’s algorithm to identify and display the most valuable notes. The system will prioritize notes that receive consistent positive ratings from viewers with diverse perspectives, ensuring the displayed context is truly “broadly helpful” to the audience.

For now, the notes feature remains under wraps for most users. It’s currently limited to English-speaking mobile users in the United States. This restricted rollout allows YouTube to gather valuable data and refine the system before potentially opening it up to a wider audience.