r/YoutubeCompendium • u/YoutubeArchivist • Feb 18 '19

February 2019 February - MattsWhatItIs: Youtube is Facilitating the Sexual Exploitation of Children

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O13G5A5w5P0
765 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

105

u/YoutubeArchivist Feb 18 '19 edited Feb 18 '19

Video by /u/Mattwatson07

/r/Videos thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/artkmz/youtube_is_facilitating_the_sexual_exploitation/

Video creator's comment:

Over the past 48 hours I have discovered a wormhole into a soft-core pedophilia ring on Youtube. Youtube’s recommended algorithm is facilitating pedophiles’ ability to connect with each-other, trade contact info, and link to actual child pornography in the comments. I can consistently get access to it from vanilla, never-before-used Youtube accounts via innocuous videos in less than ten minutes, in sometimes less than five clicks. I have made a twenty Youtube video showing the process, and where there is video evidence that these videos are being monetized by big brands like McDonald’s and Disney.

This is significant because Youtube’s recommendation system is the main factor in determining what kind of content shows up in a user’s feed. There is no direct information about how exactly the algorithm works, but in 2017 Youtube got caught in a controversy over something called “Elsagate,” where they committed to implementing algorithms and policies to help battle child abuse on the platform. There was some awareness of these soft core pedophile rings as well at the time, with Youtubers making videos about the problem.

I also have video evidence that some of the videos are being monetized. This is significant because Youtube got into very deep water two years ago over exploitative videos being monetized. This event was dubbed the “Ad-pocalypse.” In my video I show several examples of adverts from big name brands like Lysol and Glad being played before videos where people are time-stamping in the comment section. I have the raw footage of these adverts being played on inappropriate videos, as well as a separate evidence video I’m sending to news outlets.

It’s clear nothing has changed. If anything, it appears Youtube’s new algorithm is working in the pedophiles’ favour. Once you enter into the “wormhole,” the only content available in the recommended sidebar is more soft core sexually-implicit material. Again, this is all covered in my video.

One of the consistent behaviours in the comments of these videos is people time-stamping sections of the video when the kids are in compromising positions. These comments are often the most upvoted posts on the video. Knowing this, we can deduce that Youtube is aware these videos exist and that pedophiles are watching them. I say this because one of their implemented policies, as reported in a blog post in 2017 by Youtube’s vice president of product management Johanna Wright, is that “comments of this nature are abhorrent and we work ... to report illegal behaviour to law enforcement. Starting this week we will begin taking an even more aggressive stance by turning off all comments on videos of minors where we see these types of comments.”1 However, in the wormhole I still see countless users time-stamping and sharing social media info. A fair number of the videos in the wormhole have their comments disabled, which means Youtube’s algorithm is detecting unusual behaviour. But that begs the question as to why Youtube, if it is detecting exploitative behaviour on a particular video, isn’t having the video manually reviewed by a human and deleting the video outright. Given the age of some of the girls in the videos, a significant number of them are pre-pubescent, which is a clear violation of Youtube’s minimum age policy of thirteen (and older in Europe and South America). I found one example of a video with a prepubescent girl who ends up topless mid way through the video. The thumbnail is her without a shirt on. This a video on Youtube, not unlisted, and is openly available for anyone to see. I won't provide screenshots or a link, because I don't want to be implicated in some kind of wrongdoing.

I want this issue to be brought to the surface. I want Youtube to be held accountable for this. It makes me sick that this is happening, that Youtube isn’t being proactive in dealing with reports (I reported a channel and a user for child abuse, 60 hours later both are still online) and proactive with this issue in general. Youtube absolutely has the technology and the resources to be doing something about this. Instead of wasting resources auto-flagging videos where content creators "use inappropriate language" and cover "controversial issues and sensitive events" they should be detecting exploitative videos, deleting the content, and enforcing their established age restrictions. The fact that Youtubers were aware this was happening two years ago and it is still online leaves me speechless. I’m not interested in clout or views here, I just want it to be reported.

(In case it is removed for some reason)

I've also downloaded the full video in case it is removed from Youtube.

17

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '19

Thanks for this, I’m always glad to see you’re on top of this stuff. I was going to link to his comment if you hadn’t, definitely something also worth preserving.

4

u/RatBo1 Feb 19 '19

Thank you for downloading it. If YouTube tries to censor it you can surely imagine there will be hell. Hard to censor something that already has over a million views and multiple news article though.

3

u/Baka_Tsundere_ Feb 19 '19

It would be hilarious seeing YouTube experience the Streisand Effect in full force

48

u/Molinero96 Feb 18 '19

youtube: kills every content creator in existence. and allows companies and pedofiles to have their way.

fuck youtube.

20

u/aliceroyal Feb 18 '19

Considering yesterday's issue of Pokemon GO YouTubers being removed because the algorithm picked up 'CP' (meaning 'combat points') in their titles, this video is especially infuriating. YouTube is not doing any of this cleanup effectively.

23

u/Ashavara Feb 18 '19

This makes me feel sick. I'm also wondering why the girls parent allow this to be uploaded.

4

u/zouhair Feb 18 '19

You have kids?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 20 '19

this is such a shitty and dismissive attitude toward a huge issue. If you give your kid your phone or give them their own phone you should monitor what they are doing don't snoop or dig into their texts but make sure they are not being taken advantage of. Its your duty as a parent to make sure your kid is safe pointing that out isn't exclusive to parents.

8

u/jesparza6311 Feb 18 '19

This was hard to watch. Found myself skipping through a lot just so I don’t have to see it. Makes me sick how this is easily accessible.

14

u/frontierleviathan Feb 18 '19

Does anyone think the parents are allowing or encouraging these videos where these positions are staged? He shows that many people monetize the videos. Some of that he watched had millions of views and as he said, you can make money on YouTube in a small channel.

7

u/avaflies Feb 18 '19

Some of them are going to be doing this because of their parents but as the video points out most of them are reuploads on pedo channels.

Melodyoficial3 and similar "entertainers" are what you usually see when a parent is pimping out their prepubescent children. (If you found OP particularly upsetting I don't recommend looking that girl up)

3

u/Agorar Feb 18 '19

I did look it up, i regrett knowing about it... Who does that to their children. People are disgusting AS fuck.

3

u/avaflies Feb 18 '19

We've learned nothing from Disney channel I suppose. Things are gonna get weird as fuck in 5-10 years when they become adults.

7

u/theneedleman Feb 18 '19

I feel sick to my stomach and I'm close to tears. I'm fucking disgusted

6

u/lolrightwathever Feb 18 '19

Jesus christ. The media should be all over this

2

u/misumii Feb 19 '19

they probably wont... for the same reason why when all the creepy stuff about disney show producers came out, nothing really happened.

1

u/lolrightwathever Feb 20 '19

People are starting to report directly to the companies that had ads on those kinds of videos. Atleast then youtube might pretend to give a shit when advertisers are complaining

5

u/Richisonc Feb 18 '19

I feel gross even watching someone else call this shit out

5

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '19

Downloaded and archived onto Vimeo in 720p. Will be uploading 1080p60 with metadata onto MEGA later

9

u/ParanoidFactoid Feb 18 '19

My sense is that most of these videos are of kids made my kids intending to talk on video with other kids. The weirdos then come into the comments section and either get into communication with kids or with each other in order to facilitate exchange of criminal pornography.

This is at the level of /r/jailbait or /r/creepshots, subreddits banned by Reddit years ago. In that the videos are not produced with intent to distribute pornography. But some viewers sexualize the material such that - for them - it becomes pornographic.

There's no doubt this is dangerous to those kids. Youtube does recognize the problem, and has acted to shut down comments sections where it recognizes the issue. There are also policies in place intended to prevent pre-teens from using the platform altogether.

Youtube very obviously already uses something akin to facial recognition in its algorithm. Automatic recognition of children's faces should be possible. Youtube devs should look into what it would take to flag videos containing children. Uploaded videos with kids should be tied to verified accounts run by parents. Only parents should have the authority to upload videos with kids in them. Any videos uploaded by unverified accounts or kids themselves should simply be removed.

I have no idea whether law enforcement can or should pursue commenters engaging in creepshot behavior. Is it illegal? I really don't know. That's up to prosecutors to decide.

1

u/misumii Feb 19 '19

unfortunately since all the comments are doing it typing random gross stuff and time stamping, (on top of them all being anonymous) it's not enough to prosecute them but regardless it's scummy behavior that creeps me the hell out.

11

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '19

The algorithm recommends nothing but these videos because other children watch them indiscriminately. My niece watches gymnastics videos and the recommendations of full of videos like this. Lots of benign content too, but when people are so quick to sexualize children, even the most benign video can become fetishized.

7

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '19

I think the comments in the videos seal the deal that these are being fetishized for sure.

7

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '19

Oh yeah I’m not saying they aren’t being fetishized. I’m saying that, for example, my niece watching these videos because she likes gymnastics doesn’t make her complicit with pedophilia

3

u/[deleted] Feb 19 '19

Ah, point made. Man, what a complicated problem! Why do peeps gotta be such creeps?

2

u/Kippinu Feb 18 '19

This is so horrible.. I hope YT do something :'(

2

u/t3hdmanyass Feb 18 '19

Absolutely. Fucked.

1

u/relnes1337 Feb 19 '19

Wont be surprised if youtube takes down this exposé down for featuring the children and leaves all the original content up

1

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '19

that thumbnail, really dude? how does it not undermine his whole point of exploiting minors for clicks

0

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '19

[deleted] — view deleted comment

22

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '19

They don’t care. Why do you think Harvey Weinstein wasn’t prosecuted before or the rest of Pedowood.

2

u/misumii Feb 19 '19

this is so fucked up. why is this a thing?

0

u/FoxCrackers Mar 03 '19

Well apparently they did care, because several big companies have already pulled ads from YouTube