YouTube is in trouble.

That’s nothing new, because they’ve been under attack for years over various issues, but this latest scandal is quite something.

They’ve been accused of enabling a “soft-core paedophilia ring”.

The latest scandal over the streaming site’s contents moderation came about after YouTube creator Matt Watson posted a video and Reddit post describing how paedophiles are able to manipulate the platform’s recommendation algorithm, redirecting a search for “bikini haul” videos, featuring adult women, to illegal clips of children, reports Tech Crunch.

Here’s that video, which he claims will be “the last he’ll ever make on this platform”:

In response to Watson’s posts, a number of big brands have pulled their advertising from YouTube.

Nestlé told CNBC that all of its companies in the U.S. have paused advertising on YouTube, while a spokesperson for Epic, maker of the massively popular game Fortnite, said it has suspended all pre-roll advertising. Other companies that confirmed publicly they are pausing YouTube advertising include Purina, GNC, Fairlife, Canada Goose and Vitacost. Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal report that Walt Disney Co. and McDonald’s, respectively, have pulled advertising, too.

YouTube has responded by stating that they’re working hard to solve the problem.

A YouTube spokesperson sent a statement to TechCrunch that said “Any content – including comments – that endangers minors is abhorrent and we have clear policies prohibiting this on YouTube. We took immediate action by deleting accounts and channels, reporting illegal activity to authorities and disabling comments on tens of millions of videos that include minors. There’s more to be done, and we continue to work to improve and catch abuse more quickly.”

The platform has also reported comments to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and is taking further steps against child exploitation, including hiring more experts.

Let’s hope YouTube solve the problem soon.

Let’s also hope that those child pornographers die a slow and painful death that sends them straight to hell.

[source:techcrunch]