YouTube links Notre Dame fire to 9/11 attacks

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, burns on April 15, 2019 (France24 video screenshot)

While there is no indication that the devastating fire at the iconic Notre Dame is related to terrorism, a YouTube algorithm designed to combat fake news and conspiracy theories equated the Paris catastrophe with the 9/11 New York City terror attacks.

Beneath live streams Monday from various broadcasters, YouTube viewers saw an explainer for the 9/11 attacks.

A YouTube algorithm placed an explanation of the 9/11 attacks beneath broadcasts of the Notre Dame fire (Screenshot)"

The Verge reported the 9/11 context was briefly visible below live streams from CBS News, NBC News and France 24 on Monday afternoon before being removed.

The 9/11 explainer is part of YouTube’s fact-checking effort to prevent the spread of misinformation on the platform, the Verge pointed out.

A YouTube spokesman said the panels "are triggered algorithmically and our systems sometimes make the wrong call."

"We are disabling these panels for live streams related to the fire."

A YouTube algorithm placed an explanation of the 9/11 attacks beneath broadcasts of the Notre Dame fire (Screenshot)

CNN Business reported YouTube launched the fact-checking feature in 2018 after receiving criticism for recommending conspiracy videos after the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

In a blog post last July, YouTube explained that third-party fact checks from reputable sources would appear "alongside videos on a small number of well-established historical and scientific topics that have often been subject to misinformation, like the moon landing and the Oklahoma City Bombing."

Watch live France 24 coverage of the Notre Dame fire: