UPDATED 23:52 EDT / JUNE 05 2019

APPS

YouTube begins massive crackdown on dubious and hateful content

Google LLC-owned YouTube announced Wednesday that a purge will take place that could see many thousands of channels removed from the site.

The company said in a blog post that it’s in the process of removing content that violates its policies faster, while making sure borderline content doesn’t spread far and authoritative content gets seen more. YouTube added that these days it’s better at finding and classifying such content.

The move also means that from now on, any kind of video that expresses superiority as a way to discriminate against others will be removed right away. That could relate to gender, race, sexual orientation or religion. “Caste” discrimination is also verboten, which concerns mostly India.

While supremacists and extremists will be purged from the platform, YouTube said it will also remove any content that challenges “well-documented violent events.” Any video claiming that events such as 9/11 or the Sandy Hook shooting didn’t happen will be taken down.

As for borderline content, YouTube said that means videos offering specious information. Two examples the company gave were “phony miracle cure for a serious illness, or claiming the earth is flat.” Thanks to more a more advanced algorithm, YouTube said, such content isn’t recommended as much as before and recommendations have dropped by more than 50% in the U.S.

The purge is already happening. On Wednesday the New York Times reported that content creators belonging to the far right are complaining that their videos have disappeared or the ads have been taken away.

YouTube is standing firm on the issue, stating that no longer will the platform being a soapbox for people inciting “hatred, harassment, discrimination and violence.”

One of the more well-known YouTube creators to take a hit is conservative mudslinger Steven Crowder. He has been accused of using homophobic language, so YouTube decided this week to suspend monetization on his channel.

YouTube said that after investigating Crowder’s channel it found that “egregious actions has harmed the broader community and is against our YouTube Partner Program policies.” According to reports, the channel might see monetization reinstated if it is cleaned up.

Image: Pixabay

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