A YouTube official says use of the video platform has grown to such a level the website cannot vet content, instead trusting its users to self-police.
Speaking to HumanIPO, Julie Taylor, Head of Communications and Public Affairs for Google Sub-Saharan Africa, revealed the company does nothing to vet content being posted on the video-streaming website, relying fully on users to act appropriately.
“We count on our community members to know the Community Guidelines and to flag content they believe violates the rules. We review flagged videos quickly, and if we find that they violate our policies, we take them down,” said Taylor.
The main problem with the system, according to Taylor, is the different views of users with regard to what constitutes inappropriate or offensive material.
“That said, not every video that a user flags violates the Community Guidelines, and from a user’s perspective, that may be hard to understand,” she added.
“Indeed, videos that seem similar often contain different signals that we take into consideration when we make our decisions about removing, age-restricting (to 18+), or allowing a video to remain on the site.”
YouTube use has soared over recent years, with the amount of content on the website having grown to an uncontrollable level. In 2012, 4 billion hours of videos were watched via YouTube, while 72 hours of video are uploaded each minute.
A number of cases of national outrage regarding posted content have rocketed into the global spotlight recently, prompting concerns as to how the website can protect users from offensive and unacceptable content.
