How YouTube handles Hate Speech

Posted on May 16, 2017 by ORC Editor

Google has been heavily criticized over failure to do more to tackle online hate recently. This is why the company launched a series of workshops for teenagers on how to tackle both hate speech and fake news. YouTube will launch these workshops for British teenagers as part of its Creators for Change program intended to raise awareness around issues such as tolerance, empathy and abuse online.

As you may remember, the UK government pulled advertising from both Google and YouTube in March when it became known that its adverts were placed alongside extremist content. Google was accused of “profiting from hatred”, while other tech giants were also accused of “commercial prostitution” due to a failure to tackle hate speech on their sites.

YouTube explains that the Internet Citizens program would teach skills on how to safely and responsibly surf the web and would include input from the youth mentor Efe Ezekiel. The curriculum for the program has been designed by experts from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, the charity UK Youth and the youth marketing firm. The program is part of Google’s wider plans to tackle hate speech online. The company calls the initiative “just one part” of its commitment to a better Internet. UK Youth confirms that today teenagers in the country spend more time on the Internet than ever before, and it is important to help young people “manage the negative effects of connectivity”. Google’s workshops will empower teenagers to express themselves, speak out and listen to others. The charity believes that these measures will allow them to ultimately discover the skills needed to act safely and responsibly online, and make the worldwide web a positive place.