14 DAY TRIAL // YouTube, Google's subsidiary, has been publicly asked to remove from its website content allegedly sponsored by terrorists. In an open letter released this Monday, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman called on the Mountain View company to take action against Internet video content produced by terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda. The senator called on Google to implement its own policy regarding offensive material which, he said, was used "to attract supporters and advance their cause."
The senator implied that users searching YouTube could see dozens of videos that related to the cause of Islamist terrorists factions. These videos were said to document horrific attacks on American soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan and even provide weapons training and speeches by Al-Qaeda leadership. These videos are to be considered dangerous to the security of the US nation and should be removed from the website. The letter clearly stated the senator's desire to see these videos being made unavailable by the search engine giant.
YouTube has responded to the senator's letter with a post on their official YouTube blog page. According to said post, YouTube thanks the senator and his staff, as well as all of the other users who resorted to the site's Flag option to identify videos violating the policy of YouTube. It appears that some of the posts mentioned in the letter were removed from the site, but others can still be accessed by YouTube users. These videos, that are still available, are said to not be in violation of the YouTube Community Guidelines.
"While we respect and understand his views, YouTube encourages free speech and defends everyone's right to express unpopular points of view. We believe that YouTube is a richer and more relevant platform for users precisely because it hosts a diverse range of views, and rather than stifle debate we allow our users to view all acceptable content and make up their own minds" the statement on the YouTube blog read. This is the reason why some of the videos, mentioned in Lieberman's letter, haven't been banned and removed from the site.
If you are to search "terrorist" on YouTube, the first search result is a video showing a Jeff Dunham representation of a terrorist. The video is far from a calling against the security of the US nation.