YouTube eradicating ads placed on 'hate speech' videos

YouTube has clarified its rules on ‘hate speech’ just a day after an EU report stated that it was lagging behind Facebook in combating inappropriate content.

The Google-owned firm has previously committed to tackling unsuitable content after concerns were raised over ads being placed on unsuitable videos.

"We recognise there is still more work to do. We know we have to improve our communications to you, our creators," said YouTube in a blog post.

"We also need to meet our commitment to our advertisers by ensuring their ads only appear against the content they think is suitable for their brands".

This week's European Commission report stated that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft were removing hate speech in an average of 59 per cent cases where it was reported - more than twice the level of 28 per cent that was recorded six months earlier.

However, it also noted that Facebook is the only company to achieve the target of reviewing the majority of reports within 24 hours, leaving its rival tech firms lagging behind.

While videos that meet YouTube’s terms and conditions will remain on the site, the firm’s announcement clarifies the type of hateful content that will be barred from earning money from ads.

YouTube describes ‘hateful content’ as that which "promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates an individual or group of people on the basis of the individual’s or group’s race, ethnicity, or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristic associated with systematic discrimination or marginalisation".

It will also ban the placement of ads on videos that feature 'inappropriate use of family entertainment characters', where they are engaged in "violent, sexual, vile, or otherwise inappropriate behaviour". Earlier this year, a series of spoof Peppa Pig videos were posted on YouTube depicting disturbing situations unsuitable for young viewers.

11 of the best documentaries on YouTube right now

Ads will also be banned from videos with "gratuitously incendiary, inflammatory, or demeaning" content.
While the new "advertiser-friendly" guidelines are seeking to address a serious problem, YouTubers have previously accused the company of censorship after their videos were flagged as violating earlier versions of the guidelines.

In December, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube launched a shared database of terrorist material uncovered on their networks, in a bid to speed up the removal of harmful content.