YouTube Removes Hundreds of Videos in Response to New Report on Online Anti-Semitism
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The Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) on Wednesday released a report documenting extensive anti-Semitism and racial hatred on YouTube, prompting the popular video-sharing website to close the account of the most egregious culprit.
The report, which seeks to address the lacunae in online regulation of hate speech, highlights how one one user uploaded 1,710 videos in a single day – the vast majority (87%) of which consisted of blatant hate speech. A substantial number of the videos concerned Holocaust denial and defense of Holocaust deniers. Some videos accused Jews and Israel of masterminding the September 11 terrorist attacks. YouTube closed the user’s account within 24 hours of receiving an advanced copy of OHPI’s report.
Although encouraged that YouTube took the necessary corrective measures, OHPI expressed concern that it took the impending release of the report to prompt YouTube to close the account. OHPI’s CEO, Dr Andre Oboler: “YouTube must be commended for its speedy response to OHPI’s report, but it is concerning that such hateful content, and in such volume in a single account, was able to remain on the YouTube site for over a month without triggering internal warnings.”
More specifically, the report reveals that one video was flagged multiple times within a few days of being uploaded, and that YouTube was notified by e-mail of both this video and the account more generally by a Jewish community organization – the Executive Council of Australian Jewry – within the first week of the video’s upload.
The report recommends “greater sanctions both by the state and by the platform provider” when such grave violations occur, suggesting that “a comparison can be drawn to copyright law, where commercial scale can tip the matter from a civil action into a criminal offence.”
“When the sanction for copyright infringement is greater, and more rigorously enforced, than the sanction for promoting genocide, we need to stop and question our priorities” Dr Oboler concluded.
OHPI was established in January 2012 in Victoria, Australia for the purpose of combating online hate and facilitating a change in online culture
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This is so ironic that it would be funny if it weren't so scary!
Judging from the bios of some of the members of the Board of OHPI (Online Hate Prevention Institute) that prepared this "report" on Hate, the members themselves, are involved with organizations that are rather dedicated to spreading fear and hate of Islam and Muslims! Noteworthy organizations are Zionist Federation of Australia (and America) and ACT. Even the B'nai B'rith has been unable to keep from getting involved in many anti-Muslim actions, certainly in the US.
It would be nice if there were major Jewishorganizations that could stay focused on Hate in general instead of attacking Anti-Semitism while promoting Islamophobia; then we could ALL join efforts!
To the disingenuous Jeff Siddiqui: Pro-Muslim comments dominate the web, along with relentless and vicious anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist, anti-Israel propaganda, most likely funded by Muslims. So, don't preach to Jewish organizations to "stay focused on Hate in general." Thanks for noticing the idealism and generosity of the Jews, to care about protecting other persecuted peoples. But because of the hatred of Muslims for Jews, we don't have time anymore to worry about "Hatred in general".
Why don't you stay focused on working against the indoctrination of Muslim children to hate and kill Jews, or perhaps an "action" to expunge the clause about exterminating Jews from the mission statement of the Brotherhood? Let the Muslim community, the so-called 'moderate' Muslims, stand up and denounce the fanatical Islamists. Why don't they? Because they secretly agree with the extremists, or because they're afraid of them too?
It's not Islamophobia that is being promoted by Jewish organizations. It's reality!