One of the YouTube channels I subscribe to is Megaprojects. Its main focus is on big construction projects (hence the name, probably), but it also has a fascination with military tech and vehicles. And recently, they got around to doing a video on Hitler’s train. Because of course Hitler had his own train.

That blue box at the bottom of the screenshot is an excerpt from Wikipedia’s article on Hitler’s suicide.

This was the first time I’d seen (or at least noticed) YouTube’s “topical context in information panel” antifeature, which is explained thusly:

When you search or watch videos related to topics prone to misinformation, such as the moon landing, you may see an information panel at the top of your search results or under a video you’re watching.

Potential misinformation: Hitler had a train. Right.

 

I didn’t see one of these when Megaprojects covered Kim Jong-Un’s train or the U.S. president’s plane, motorcade, train, bus, and helicopter, or any number of Soviet aircraft or Nazi weapons. Something in this video, though – possibly the “Hitler” in the title – prompted this bot to hallucinate a community note.

If I had to guess, I’d say that unlike the last Google bot I mentioned, this one is from the side of the company that carefully tweaks its algorithm to achieve a desired effect. It just has that feel.

Which leads me to ask: what effect did they desire?

Were they trying to remind the kind of idiots who admire Hitler that he’s been dead for almost 80 years, as if they’d care?

Or are they so desperate to look like they’re fighting “misinformation” that they’re wasting resources (and their viewers’ attention) on the “Hitler in Argentina” conspiracy theory like that’s in any way relevant in 2024, decades after even the conspiracy theorists believe Hitler died?

And what, again, does either of those have to do with a video about a train?