CSO report reveals YouTube's policies restricted content on Palestinian life & permitted ads fueling incitement against Palestinians
"YouTube's Impact on Palestinian Digital Rights during the War on Gaza'', April 25, 2024
The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media issued a position paper titled "Youtube's Impact on Palestinian Digital Rights during the War on Gaza''. The paper addressed YouTube's policies and discriminatory practices, its compliance with international law, adherence to human rights due diligence, and its impact on Palestinian digital rights following the 7th of October.
The paper provided an assessment of YouTube's advertising standards and practices and their compatibility with international human rights.
The paper concluded that YouTube’s policies allowed for the dissemination of problematic content in the form of advertising material that increased incitement to hatred and violence against Palestinians. Furthermore, the paper saw that the platform's discriminatory practices of demonetizing and restricting content critical of Israel's actions in Gaza indicated that YouTube's community guidelines do not protect freedom of expression and hinder the sharing of information about the lives of Palestinians.
The paper presented a set of recommendations directed at YouTube... Additionally, it called for detailed transparency reports on cases of guideline violations, content deletions, and additional information on why content is demonetized. Last but not least, it called on YouTube to allow Palestinian content creators to monetize their content on YouTube.