YouTube's controversial commentators put creators in a delicate position



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Photo: Chris McGrath (Getty)

While YouTube struggles to tackle a child exploitation network in the comments section of its platform, some creators worried about what would happen if their videos were demonetized in a context of withdrawal and repression of content by advertisers. The Verge reported on Friday that a tweet Thanks to the YouTube Team account, creators experienced an additional spiral after the company announced a move it was taking against "inappropriate comments".

"Over the last few days, we've taken a number of steps to better protect the YouTube community from endangering content," the account said. tweeted. "Regarding the actions we've taken, even if your video is for advertisers, inappropriate comments could result in your video receiving little or no advertising."

Advertisers began withdrawing their ad spend from the site after YouTuber Matt Watson shared a video on Sunday highlighting methods used by pedophiles apparent in video commentaries to exploit children, including sharing contact information, subtitling videos and timestamping videos. In the face of the loss of important advertising customers such as Nestle, Epic Games and Hasbro, YouTube has taken extreme measures to ensure that ads are not shown on content that may attract bad actors.

A YouTube spokesperson said that ads on the videos were limited and that younger subjects might be exposed to this type of predatory activity via comments. YouTube is also closing comments on millions of videos of minors to solve the problem for the moment.

For creators whose videos include their childrenFor example, limited advertising or demonetized videos could be a problem. Some creators tweeted that they had the feeling of being punished for comments beyond their control. Others are worried that YouTube's temporary system may be misused by malicious commentators trying to fool creators.

"The creators of these videos may have done nothing wrong, but we are going beyond our existing short-term protections on content that may include or endanger minors," wrote Team YouTube. in a Friday blog about the changes. "Our goal is to protect creators and the wider ecosystem while improving our systems."

In addition to the aforementioned changes, a spokeswoman for YouTube said earlier this week that the company had removed hundreds of accounts related to people leaving predatory comments on videos of minors. YouTube also reports illegal comments to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to work with law enforcement.

"All content – including comments – endangering minors is obnoxious and we have clear policies banning this on YouTube," said a spokeswoman for YouTube in a statement. "We acted immediately by removing accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to the authorities and disabling comments on tens of millions of videos containing minors. Much remains to be done and we continue to work to improve and catch the abuse faster. "

[The Verge]

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