YouTube: Profiting From Animal Abuse
ACCO investigator Lady Freethinker has discovered 2,053 videos glorifying animal abuse on YouTube. These videos, which were found using common keywords such as dogfighting, cockfighting and eating animals alive - were posted across 150 channels and racked up over 1 billion views. If monetized, Lady Freethinker determined these videos could potentially earn YouTubers nearly $15 million while the platform itself would bring in $12 million in advertising revenue, even though animal abuse is against the platform’s Community Standards.
By the end of the investigation, only 185 of the videos found have been removed from YouTube’s site. The tech firm has pledged to look into these reports that it has been carrying thousands of videos of animal abuse.
As a result of this report, YouTube banned all fake animal “rescue” videos from its platform. Lady Freethinker will continue to monitor the platform and hold YouTube accountable to remove animal abuse videos.
Authors:
Lady Freethinker (Nina Jackal)