Video sites that host user-generated content need to do more to screen videos in order to ensure they do not have material that is inappropriate for children, according to a UK parliamentary body.
Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee said without proper monitoring sites can accidentally publish pornography, child abuse or other illegal content, the group said in a report.
YouTube told the committee that reviewing all content before publication was not practical because 10 hours of material is added every minute. The lawmakers disagreed pointing out that some sites currently screen all content.
“To plead that the volume of traffic prevents screening of content is clearly not correct,” they said in their report. “Providers such as MySpace have not been deterred from reviewing material posted on their sites.”
The committee said reform was needed after an alleged gang rape video was uploaded to YouTube and viewed 600 times before being removed. They said sites should hire more people to screen content and use better filters.
In a statement, Google said YouTube reviews half of all material reported by other users as inappropriate within 30 minutes and the rest within an hour.
“For YouTube we have strict rules on what’s allowed, and a system that enables anyone who sees inappropriate content to report it to our 24/7 review team and have it dealt with promptly,” Google said.
“Given the volume of content uploaded on our site, we think this is by far the most effective way to make sure that the tiny minority of videos that break the rules come down quickly.”
