Feb 6, 2008 10:41 pm US/Pacific
Web Extra: YouTube Spokesperson On Gang Material
(CBS 5)
The following is an e-mail conversation between CBS 5 and a YouTube spokesperson about gang-related material on the website. The spokesperson asked to remain anonymous.
CBS 5: Is gang-related material against YouTube's policy? If so, what happens if you run across that material? Do you remove it? Do you shut down the discussion portion of the site?
YouTube: YouTube does not allow videos showing dangerous or illegal acts which is clearly stated in the community guidelines on the site (
http://youtube.com/t/community_guidelines). Also, real violence on YouTube is not allowed. If a video shows someone getting "hurt, attacked, or humiliated", it will be removed.
We do not control the content on our site. Our community polices the site and this has proven very effective. Our users understand the rules and effectively police the site for inappropriate material. The users can flag content that they feel is inappropriate and once it is flagged, it is reviewed by YouTube staff and is removed from the system within minutes if it violates our Community Guidelines.
We disable the accounts of repeat offenders.
Regarding user comments, I can tell you that YouTube is, and always has been, a forum for free expression. Our community is made up of millions of people across the world and is diverse racially, ethnically, politically, religiously as well as in terms of sexual orientation. If particular users repeatedly harass others via comment sections, we may terminate their accounts. We also let all users know they can choose whether they want to let people comment on their videos. If someone leaves a comment on a video that is mean or bothers the uploader, the uploader can always delete the comment. Another option we give our users is to moderate comments, which means that comments can be approved before they can appear on the site. Users can also limit who can contact them and keep it to their "friends" on YouTube.
CBS 5: What is your advice to young people when they come across gang-related images?
YouTube: We encourage our users to flag every video they deem inappropriate and let them know that flagged videos are always promptly reviewed and removed if they violate our Guidelines. To educate our users, we provide safety tips for them, including advice on appropriately managing interactions with other users and using the community flagging system (see
www.youtube.com/t/safety).
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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