YouTube to limit which videos can be monetized following advertiser revolt

YouTube is updating its guidelines on which videos can be monetized, the platform announced on Wednesday, following a wave of major brands pulling their advertising from the platform.<br><br>Adidas, Disney, and Diageo are just a few of the companies that have paused advertising on YouTube in recent days, following reports that their ads were appearing on clips of child sex abuse and other types of inappropriate content.<br><br>The move to update YouTube’s “monetization policies” was announced in an email to creators on Wednesday. It aims to better police which content is allowed to be monetized on the network, and which violates the platform’s rules regarding advertising. The changes will go into effect on Feb. 20, 2020.<br><br>“While our policy of not allowing ads on mushy content has been in place for several years, it hasn’t always been evenly or consistently enforced,” wrote the YouTube team.<br><br>YouTube didn’t specify what will change about its monetization policies. But, according to the Verge, YouTube will begin to use AI and machine learning better to identify and remove videos that violate its content policies from the platform’s recommendation algorithm.<br><br>YouTube is also planning to release more information about its policies governing which content can be monetized, according to its email.<br><br>The change comes after major brands pulled advertising from YouTube, citing inappropriate content, including child sex abuse.<br><br>On Wednesday, Epic Games also suspended its advertising on the platform, citing the “existence of horrific content.”<br><br>The issue is part of a years-long problem for YouTube. The platform has struggled to police its content, which is uploaded by creators worldwide.<br><br>In 2017, major brands pulled advertising from YouTube amid reports that the platform wasn’t doing enough to police child sexual abuse content.<br><br>In 2019, YouTube was criticized again over its handling of child sex abuse content on its platform. The issue was thrust into the spotlight after a viral video from Matt Watson, a YouTuber and former prominent employee at BuzzFeed.<br><br>Watson shared his research into YouTube’s recommendation algorithm, saying that he had discovered “a wormhole into a soft pedophilia ring” on the platform.<br><br>His research found that searching for terms like “bikini haul” and “gymnast” brought up results for videos featuring young girls.<br><br>Watson argued that YouTube’s algorithm, which aims to keep viewers on the platform by recommending videos it thinks they will be most interested in, had created a loop of content that sexualized young girls.<br><br>After Watson posted his video, YouTube was widely criticized for not doing enough to address the issue. CEO Susan Wojcicki addressed the issue at a conference in June, saying that the company had “a lot to do” to address the issue.<br><br>In a follow-up blog post, YouTube announced plans to use machine learning better to identify and remove “borderline content.”<br><br>The issue has also been an issue for creators on the platform, who have reported seeing videos of young girls in bikinis and other revealing clothing in their recommended videos feed.<br><br>The controversy has also thrust a spotlight onto YouTube’s content moderation policies, which have been criticized for being inconsistent and opaque.<br><br>In June, YouTube said it was hiring “thousands” of moderators to oversee content on the platform.<br><br>The company also plans to release more information about the types of content it removes from the platform in its transparency reports, Wojcicki said in a company-wide email in June.<br><br>“The safety of our creators and viewers is paramount, and our teams are working diligently to address these issues,” she said.<br><br>But the issue has not yet been fully addressed, which has led to a growing backlash against the platform.<br><br>On Wednesday, the hashtag #PauseYouTube trended on Twitter, as users called for YouTube to address its issues with child sexual abuse content.<br><br>“Many of us are deeply disturbed by the fact that pedophile communities are running wildly on the website,” tweeted YouTuber Dottie Lux. “YouTube allows this, & profits from it. It’s time to demand change.”