Today YouTube is rolling out a new feature to combat people who use its platform to promote extremist views.

In the past, YouTube has taken a reactive approach to content that violates its terms of service: After human users or the site's algorithm flag offending videos, YouTube deletes the videos and blocks the accounts responsible.



Now rather than simply removing content and banning bad actors, YouTube will take preemptive measures. When someone searches for extremist content on YouTube, the site will show them a playlist of videos that argue against extremism. NGOs that specialize in creating anti-extremist content will curate the video playlist.

The technique, dubbed the Redirect Method, "uses curated video content to redirect people away from violent extremist propaganda and steer them toward video content that confronts extremist messages and debunks its mythology," according to a YouTube blog announcing the feature. The Redirect Method's dedicated website says that the technique uses Google AdWords in conjunction with the curated content.

For now, the feature focuses on English-language videos about Islamic extremism, specifically the videos that ISIS uses to recruit new members. YouTube said it's partnered with NGOs like Moonshot CVE to further research how best to counter extremism and to create new video content.

YouTube said it will measure the success of the program "by how much the content is engaged." A pilot of the program conducted in August and September 2015 saw 320,000 people watch 500,000 minutes of 116 curated anti-extremism videos. According to YouTube, any institution is welcome to copy its methodology.