YouTube is a huge platform where billions of users tune in to either watch or share video content. But a new report from Rolling Stone is showing a new side to the app that we bet you may not have come across.
The video-sharing giant has been accused of making big bucks off hate speech, misogyny, racism, harassment, and more. And this isn’t something new. It’s been happening for a while now.
For an application like this, engagement is what’s most important. The company has a huge reputation in the entertainment industry as being one that not only provides entertainment but also gives you the latest on news. Did we mention how much money it rolls out for its dear creators too? It’s no wonder why people adore the platform and can’t get enough of it.
The great amount of content that comes the app’s way means the platform needs to be moderated more intricately via modern tools. There’s a list of guidelines that need to be followed before you receive warnings and a suspension. After all, the goal is to harbor a safe and sound community online. But YouTube hopes to do that by giving its creators plenty of freedom along the way.
Now, a new and shocking investigation is coming to light by a company called Bot Sentinel. They claim to have retrieved nearly 24 YouTube channels that featured policy violations. And despite breaking the rules, they were given the right to carry on posting without any form of censoring occurring from the app’s moderation team. And you might be shocked to find out that the app continued to pay them.
Carrying out an exclusive interview recently, the company mentioned to Rolling Stone how shocked they were to see the app spruced up with hate, racism, and misogyny taking center stage. Similarly, targeted harassment focused on females that were famous. One of them was Amber Heard while others included the likes of Meghan Markle.
Both of these women have not been shy about how they feel. They’re extremely vocal about the hazards linked to targeted harassment. And now seeing YouTube pay these channels as a whole, $42K is shocking. Also, do remember how all of the video content runs with ads. Hence, the app definitely benefits.
It’s quite clear that YouTube is the guilty person here. They are to blame and when the interview was shared with a spokesperson of the firm, he blatantly denied it and said he didn’t see the new report. But he did mention how the app is very particular about such things and takes it very seriously. Similarly, he requested users to flag any form of content that they felt went against the firm’s community guidelines.
The company adds that such behavior is never appreciated on the app and they try to do anything and everything in their power to curb it. Moreover, it even called the actions to be malicious insults that were aimed directly at famous people.
As investigations into the incident continue, one thing is for sure. Any app that makes money off of cyberbullying must be scrutinized further because such behavior leads the way for others to do the same.
There was also a detailed discussion in the report about egregious cases. These were related to copyright infringement linked to the Royal family and hatred toward Meghan Markle. Around 22 channels published the video content. And around 34,000 different videos failed to give any form of a credit to the sources where data was obtained. Yet, they got millions of views and that just means one thing, it’s the money that most apps and people are after.
Read next: YouTube Made Payments Worth More Than $6 Billion To The Music Industry In The Last One Year
The video-sharing giant has been accused of making big bucks off hate speech, misogyny, racism, harassment, and more. And this isn’t something new. It’s been happening for a while now.
For an application like this, engagement is what’s most important. The company has a huge reputation in the entertainment industry as being one that not only provides entertainment but also gives you the latest on news. Did we mention how much money it rolls out for its dear creators too? It’s no wonder why people adore the platform and can’t get enough of it.
The great amount of content that comes the app’s way means the platform needs to be moderated more intricately via modern tools. There’s a list of guidelines that need to be followed before you receive warnings and a suspension. After all, the goal is to harbor a safe and sound community online. But YouTube hopes to do that by giving its creators plenty of freedom along the way.
Now, a new and shocking investigation is coming to light by a company called Bot Sentinel. They claim to have retrieved nearly 24 YouTube channels that featured policy violations. And despite breaking the rules, they were given the right to carry on posting without any form of censoring occurring from the app’s moderation team. And you might be shocked to find out that the app continued to pay them.
Carrying out an exclusive interview recently, the company mentioned to Rolling Stone how shocked they were to see the app spruced up with hate, racism, and misogyny taking center stage. Similarly, targeted harassment focused on females that were famous. One of them was Amber Heard while others included the likes of Meghan Markle.
Both of these women have not been shy about how they feel. They’re extremely vocal about the hazards linked to targeted harassment. And now seeing YouTube pay these channels as a whole, $42K is shocking. Also, do remember how all of the video content runs with ads. Hence, the app definitely benefits.
It’s quite clear that YouTube is the guilty person here. They are to blame and when the interview was shared with a spokesperson of the firm, he blatantly denied it and said he didn’t see the new report. But he did mention how the app is very particular about such things and takes it very seriously. Similarly, he requested users to flag any form of content that they felt went against the firm’s community guidelines.
The company adds that such behavior is never appreciated on the app and they try to do anything and everything in their power to curb it. Moreover, it even called the actions to be malicious insults that were aimed directly at famous people.
As investigations into the incident continue, one thing is for sure. Any app that makes money off of cyberbullying must be scrutinized further because such behavior leads the way for others to do the same.
There was also a detailed discussion in the report about egregious cases. These were related to copyright infringement linked to the Royal family and hatred toward Meghan Markle. Around 22 channels published the video content. And around 34,000 different videos failed to give any form of a credit to the sources where data was obtained. Yet, they got millions of views and that just means one thing, it’s the money that most apps and people are after.
Read next: YouTube Made Payments Worth More Than $6 Billion To The Music Industry In The Last One Year
