14 DAY TRIAL // YouTube is taking steps against the offensive content that's been dirtying its platform for years after the scandal a few weeks back which led to multiple major brands leaving the company's ad program due to fear of being linked to hateful content.
In an effort to make advertisers happy, but also to punish those spewing off hate, the company has released more guidelines regarding what constitutes an ad-friendly video, also updating the list of video categories that won't be eligible for advertising.
In short, hateful content that promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates an individual or group of people based on their race, ethnicity, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other characteristic associated with systemic discrimination will no longer qualify for ads, which means it will no longer generate money for the poster.
Furthermore, videos that depict family entertainment characters engaged in violent, sexual, vile, or otherwise inappropriate content will also be banned from ads. Similarly, content that is gratuitously incendiary, inflammatory, or demeaning is also on the blacklist.
This isn't censorship
While there will be many voices accusing YouTube of censorship, that can't be farther from the truth. The videos will still be there, they'll still be just as easy to find as any others, but they will no longer generate any ad profit for those who post the videos. Since many of these happen to go viral for various reasons, they end up making people a lot of money, which, in turn, makes them believe their opinions are perfectly acceptable.
"We hope this additional information will provide you with more insight into the types of content that brands have told us they don't want to advertise against and help you to make more informed content decisions," said YouTube's VP of product management Ariel Bardin.