Aug 14, 2017

PFC // Middle East Eye | Aug 9, 2017 | YouTube AI deletes war crime videos as 'extremist material' |


YouTube removed video documenting Islamic State's destruction of Nimrud artifacts (AFP)
YouTube is facing criticism after a new artificial intelligence program monitoring "extremist" content began flagging and removing masses of videos and blocking channels that document war crimes in the Middle East.

Middle East Eye, the monitoring organisation Airwars and the open-source investigations site Bellingcat are among a number of sites that have had videos removed for breaching YouTube's Community Guidelines.

The removals began days after Google, which owns YouTube, trumpeted the arrival of an artificial intelligence program that it said could spot and flag "extremist" videos without human involvement.

But since then vast tracts of footage, including evidence used in the Chelsea Manning court case and videos documenting the destruction of ancient artifacts by Islamic State, have been flagged as "extremist" and deleted from its archives.






Orient News, a Syrian opposition news site established in 2008, appears to have had its entire YouTube account removed.

Airwars raised the issue on Twitter after a number of its videos - largely showing footage of air strikes - were removed for violating YouTube guidelines.

Airwars later said its videos had been reviewed and restored, but given 18+ age classifications.

Eliot Higgins, of Bellingcat, made similar complaints.

Middle East Eye has also had a number of videos removed, some of which were later given age restrictions, some of which remain removed.


READ MORE: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/youtube-criticised-after-middle-east-video-taken-down-over-extremist-content-1244893230