Bowing To Pressure, YouTube Will Reconsider Its Harassment Policies

YouTube will reconsider its harassment policies and may update them, the company said in a new blog post. The statement was apparently prompted by public pressure on the company after a conflict between two YouTubers: Carlos Maza, who hosts for Vox, and Stephen Crowder, a conservative media personality. From a report: In response to backlash, YouTube has convened a blue-ribbon commission and appears to be hoping everyone will stop screaming. YouTube has promised to consult journalists, experts, creators, and those who have experienced harassment as the company tries to figure out how to update its policies. Last week, Maza tweeted a very viral thread about how Crowder had targeted him for harassment, calling him -- among other epithets -- a 'lispy sprite,' a 'little queer,' and a 'gay Latino from Vox.' Maza's target was YouTube; he wanted to know why the company hadn't responded to the derogatory remarks Crowder made about Maza's sexuality and ethnicity, as can be seen in a supercut posted by Maza.

Last night, YouTube said Crowder's homophobic harassment didn't violate any of its policies, and that Crowder's videos would stay up. Earlier today, YouTube said that it would remove ads from Crowder's videos, a process known as 'demonetization' among YouTubers. But Crowder's demonetization isn't permanent; according to YouTube, Crowder can once again make money from ads if he 'addresses all of the issues with his channel.'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.