YouTube cracks down on 'sexually suggestive' content
Technology ( 8 )
WASHINGTON —
YouTube announced on Tuesday that it was cracking down on “sexually suggestive” videos in a bid to clean up the popular video-sharing website.
In a blog posting, YouTube, which already bans pornography, said it would be enforcing a “stricter standard for mature content” and “tightening the standard for what is considered ‘sexually suggestive.’”
“Videos with sexually suggestive but not prohibited content will be age-restricted, which means they’ll be available only to viewers who are 18 or older,” the Google-owned website said.
YouTube said videos which contain sexually suggestive content or profanity would no longer appear on its lists of “Most Viewed” or “Top Favorited” videos.
The Internet’s top video-sharing site also said it would step up enforcement of rules banning misleading descriptions in the tags and titles of a video.
Some YouTube users have been known to give videos misleading titles such as “sexy” in a bid to increase the view counts of a particular video.
YouTube, which receives 13 hours of video from users every minute, said repeat violators of the new rules will have their accounts terminated.
Wire reports
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soldave
Sexually suggestive content will not be allowed. So that means about 50% of Youtube content, including the majority of music videos, commercials etc will be pulled. WHat about the shows that they are about to sign/have signed contracts with, with some US TV companies. Am doubting that they will be taken down regardless of the content.
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dennis0bauer
Youtube from most viewed to most boring
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some14some
Rival websites are there.
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Azrael
I do suppose most "LOOKIELOOK AT MEEE" amateur videos will be either removed or restricted. It was about time.
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gonemad
The puritans are out again... Sooner or later we will have to turn to Iranian websites for "permissive content"?
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cwhite
just charge 1cent for every video uploaded and watch the users drop like flies in a sauna
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LFRAgain
Has less to do with Puritanical thinking and more to do with taking steps to ensure children who view YouTube don't accidentally (or purposely) run across something that they might be better off seeing with a few more years and greater maturity under their belts.
Freedom of expression does not equate to freedom from the responsibilities inherent in the exercise of said freedom. Just as you shouldn't scream "Fire!" in a crowded theater at the risk of causing deaths and inuries in the ensuing stampede to escape, neither should you post sexually suggestive content for all the world to see.
Would you and a friend hop onto a school-bus full of 2nd graders and demonstrate your favorite thrusting techniques for all to see? Probably not. So. does that mean you're a Puritanical prude for not doing so? No. It means you're proably an adult.
This decision by YouTube was a long time coming.
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