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Disney, Nestle, and Others Are Pulling YouTube Ads Following Child Exploitation Controversy (bloomberg.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the cause-and-effect dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Disney is said to have pulled its advertising spending from YouTube, joining other companies including Nestle, after a blogger detailed how comments on Google's video site were being used to facilitate a "soft-core pedophilia ring." Some of the videos involved ran next to ads placed by Disney and Nestle. All Nestle companies in the U.S. have paused advertising on YouTube, a spokeswoman for the company said Wednesday in an email. Video game maker Epic Games and German packaged food giant Dr. August Oetker KG also said they had postponed YouTube spending after their ads were shown to play before the videos. Disney has also withheld its spending.

On Sunday, Matt Watson, a video blogger, posted a 20-minute clip detailing how comments on YouTube were used to identify certain videos in which young girls were in activities that could be construed as sexually suggestive, such as posing in front of a mirror and doing gymnastics. Watson's video demonstrated how, if users clicked on one of the videos, YouTube's algorithms recommended similar ones. By Wednesday, Watson's video had been viewed more than 1.7 million times. Total ad spending on the videos mentioned was less than $8,000 within the last 60 days, and YouTube plans refunds, the spokeswoman said. Two years ago, Verizon, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson and other major companies pulled their ads from YouTube after learning that some of their ads surfaced next to extremist and violent content. Yesterday, YouTube released an updated policy about how it will handle content that "crosses the line" of appropriateness.

"Any content -- including comments -- that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube. We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities and disabling violative comments," a spokeswoman for YouTube said in an email.

9 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. As sick as it is.. by scsirob · · Score: 4, Insightful

    .. There will always be sick people imagining things in pictures or videos that are not there. There will always be people that are offended by anything you do or say. When you put out stuff on the internet for the whole world to see, there's no way to *NOT* offend or trigger some idiot somewhere on the planet.

    Please return to common sense. If a video shows a girl having fun, it's about the girl having fun. Not about to sicko three doors down who has sick fantasies. Turning to censorship will not change that.

    --
    To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
    1. Re:As sick as it is.. by zlives · · Score: 4, Insightful

      can we have a conversation about why people are uploading their kids on the internet in the first place?

    2. Re:As sick as it is.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A fully clothed girl doing gymnastics is not porn.

      But, pedophiles will watch such a video and experience lust.

      The fact that this will happen freaks people out, and a boring run-of-the-mill "look how adorable my kid is" video has suddenly become dirty.

      This situation is fueled by emotion, so it is not logical. Emotion has tremendous motivating power, so you can't talk it down with logic.

      People will suffer all kinds of injustice under the banner of protecting children. Its a strong instinct. That's why politicians like to play that card at every opportunity.

      It is not fair. Too bad. That's the world we live in.

  2. To be shortly followed by... by hymie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...people complaining about how YouTube pulled the video of their children being adorable.

  3. Re: And there's the opposite side of the coin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    She's an adult who can make the content she wants and it really doesn't matter why others might like her work. She seems like a fun lady who does fun things and is fun to look at, and that's just fine.

  4. It won't work by TWX · · Score: 3, Insightful

    From Youtube: "Any content -- including comments -- that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube. We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities and disabling violative comments," a spokeswoman for YouTube said in an email.

    It won't work. The fundamental problem is that it's expensive to editorialize/police content and advertising. Major television networks employ standards boards, local television stations have station managers and other staff, and even cable networks have to maintain staff to both sell and to police the content of television shows and of ads. These entities have to spend a sizable amount on salary for these censors, and even being limited to airtime that's limited to 1440 minutes in a 24-hour period they still get it wrong.

    There are claims that 5 billion videos are watched daily on Youtube, and more than 400,000 hours of content is added to Youtube every day. There's simply no way to keep up as censors with that kind of content. Hell, Google can't even keep its ad delivery networks free from malicious ads, how do they expect to keep inappropriate content off when those uploading content don't have a strong financial tie with a particular salesman or censor?

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  5. Sounds like a slippery slope situation. by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Matt Watson, a video blogger, posted a 20-minute clip detailing how comments on YouTube were used to identify certain videos in which young girls were in activities that could be construed as sexually suggestive, such as posing in front of a mirror and doing gymnastics.

    Just about *any* activity can be sexually suggestively to someone, somewhere. Not judging, just sayin' ...

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  6. Nestle "kills babies" for profit by quenda · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So Nestle is making a fuss over videos of kids eating lollipops?

    Nestle, the company who knowingly killed how many thousands of babies, pushing baby formulae in third world counties?
    And have made billions stunting the development of millions of babies by promoting the same products to mothers who were capable of breast feeding?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

  7. Re:And there's the opposite side of the coin by hoofie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Look the first time you watch some of her videos, let be honest it's quite easy on the eye.....

    After a few of them you really don't notice that aspect anymore as the content she presents is too interesting - you are a true geek if you can do that.

    She has been shamefully treated though and comes across as quite a lovely person.