YouTube CEO Backs Company Decision to Not Take Action Against Hate Speech

Youtube CEO Susan Wojcicki. Image: Inc.com 

BY ANNA BOWMAN

Two weeks ago, a YouTube content creator by the name of Steven Crowder was called out on Twitter for his usage of homophobic and racial attacks against Vox reporter Carlos Maza. In a slew of support for Maza, Twitter and YouTube users took to rallying against Crowder and demanding the website to take action against allowing hate speech on their platform. However, YouTube issued an apology for his hate speech but ultimately did not scold Crowder's deeds in any way. 

(3/4) As an open platform, it’s crucial for us to allow everyone–from creators to journalists to late-night TV hosts–to express their opinions w/in the scope of our policies. Opinions can be deeply offensive, but if they don’t violate our policies, they’ll remain on our site.

— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) June 4, 2019

Reported earlier this week in a Mashable article by Johnny Lieu, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said at CodeCon that she felt like the company made the correct decision on how to deal with Crowder's hate speech. Though she said she was "personally very sorry" to the LGBTQ community the creator had offended, she stated that YouTube would not reverse its decision to not do anything about Crowder's content. The platform's reasons for refraining from taking action are that they must be "consistent" because they did not want to set the standard of removing all the hate speech commentary broadcasted on their site. The only punishment Crowder has received is demonetization, which is a process in which the creator makes no revenue from advertisements on their channel. Maza, the journalist that had to endure Crowder's hate speech, said that it was a slap on the wrist and criticized YouTube for setting a bad standard for its user base:

If you don't regulate hate speech and harassment, you haven't actually created a "home" for queer people.

You've created a place where queer people have to pay an extra price -- tolerating abuse -- just to speak up. https://t.co/Spt5G2BndB

— Carlos Maza (@gaywonk) June 11, 2019

Does YouTube's reaction--or lack thereof--set a bad precedent for the community? By not eliminating hate speech, they're allowing it to cultivate on their platform, which only furthers the criticism many new media sites receive for "toxic communities". The internet gives people a cloud of protection and a voice to communicate with others; some users feel more comfortable voicing their true thoughts on the internet than in real life. While the internet has greatly changed how we communicate by enabling users to connect with anyone in the world, users are easily able to be influenced by what information and opinion they absorb during their time on the internet. By allowing hate speech to remain on the platform, these influencers could potentially sway their viewers to utilize hate speech and prejudice against--in Crowder's case--the LGBTQ community and minorities. 

Carlos Maza (left) and Steven Crowder (right). Image: Business Insider

There are many ways YouTube could have dealt with Crowder and remove hate speech from its community. The report function is hardly noticed except for extreme cases of major reports on a video. Though it may be difficult to sort through a slew of incoming grievances from its user base, a keener eye on reports could work for detecting hate speech and removing it from the platform. Additionally, the YouTube algorithm already has the ability to scour for certain words contained in videos and comments to capture other issues on the platform--things that break their terms of service--and according to a different Mashable article written by Lieu, Crowder's harassment actually does break their policies:

"These policies prohibit content which incites others to harass or threaten individuals on or off YouTube or reveal's someones personal information," Lieu stated. "To repeat: YouTube has deemed Crowder's videos broke none of those rules."

Many other social media platforms have taken the rise against hate speech and have taken some degree of action against it. Although a claimed proponent of pride month, YouTube's decision has slighted the LGBTQ community and many have taken to criticizing the company for its actions. This was a poor move for the website to take, and after several years of receiving numerous amounts of criticisms for actions it has taken in the past, Wojcicki could have turned things around for the platform and make its user base happy. Instead, this is a decision that will likely be remembered for a long time and may pose a grave impact on its community.