YouTube's automated tools get it wrong, and wrong again
LOS ANGELES — Google has made a fortune using automated tools to search the web and offer-self-service options for both advertisers and folks who want to post videos to its YouTube network.
But this week, Google's automation tools were pilloried by users and clients, as cracks in the system were exposed on how it filters content and fails to filter where some advertisements are placed.
At the beginning of the week, several popular creators of YouTube videos spoke out about a new discovery: videos produced with a gay or transgender theme were being blocked by YouTube's Restricted filter, an option for folks and institutions who want family-friendly fare. The filter wasn't just blocking sexually explicit content, as intended, but many videos created by gay, lesbian and transgender folks, from dating tips to profiles of LGBTQ leaders. This, from a company that often proudly displays its commitment to the LGBTQ community.
In response, many creators, including Gigi Gorgeous, the subject of a new documentary about her transformation on YouTube, produced protest videos, with the hashtag, #ProudtobeRestricted.
Google apologized and said it would fix the filter, but the changes won't happen overnight. They could take days or weeks.
Meanwhile, Google got hit with a major whammy, as huge corporations like AT&T, Verizon and Enterprise Rent-a-Car yanked their ads from YouTube and the Google's non-search ad network because they were appearing next to or on hate videos.
Google apologized and said it would dive in and try to figure a way for brands to get more control over where their ads appeared. But one analyst said that vow didn't go far enough — that the well-known "moonshot" factory should aim for zero mistakes — and shares in Google-parent Alphabet were slammed.
What's more, the ads kept appearing throughout the week, as the Wall Street Journal discovered Friday when it found ads from Toyota and other concerns next to objectionable videos. In response, Pepsi, Wal-Mart, Dish, Starbucks and General Motors yanked their ads from YouTube, according to the WSJ.
YouTube, the No. 1 video site, generates 1 billion video views daily, and has been on a major campaign over the last few years to transform from just a place for user-generated videos (cats doing silly things, babies being cute) to more professionally produced content. The above mentioned "creators," like iJustine, Tyler Oakley and Rhett and Link have built up massive fan bases, speaking directly to young viewers.
YouTube in 2015 looked to bank on its success with creators by launching Red, a subscription service offering original productions from YouTube stars, and is further branching in the coming weeks with YouTube TV, a "cutting the cord," or streaming TV service for millennials.
But before it goes any further, it has a life or death task to tackle—how to deal with the site's many hate videos. The problem for Google: free speech, and what kind of role the company wants to play as an editor. It currently will take down in response to complaints from the community. In order to keep the ad money flowing in, might it get more aggressive on this?
Read more on how an advertisement for toothpaste could end up on a racist video.