July 18, 2007 6:13 PM PDT

YouTubers protest account suspensions of kid videos

by Elinor Mills
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YouTube users are complaining that the viral video site is suspending accounts that feature videos with children in them without stating why. So far, at least three channels--Jesari, YoungTubers and Galipoka--have been suspended, all featuring popular young YouTubers.

Is it age discrimination? Or is it overzealous enforcement of a child protection policy? A spokesman for YouTube's outside public relations firm said he would look into the matter and get back to CNET News.com. A Google spokesman directed all questions on the matter to YouTube.

According to the terms of service, people have to be over the age of 13 to register to use the service. YouTube user named Renetto created a very funny video in which he has a family discussion about the suspensions. Renetto tells his 10- and 11-year-old daughters that he needs to have a "very serious talk with them." "We already had that talk in school," one of his daughters says. "No, not that talk," Renetto responds. The non-chalance and silliness of his children as they eat dinner is priceless.

There are numerous other protest and tribute videos, including one entitled "Bring back Jesari and YoungTubers" that gives a good explanation of what happened to those accounts.

Tip of the hat to Philipp Lenssen at Google Blogoscoped for reporting on this and including the cusswords from the Renetto video in his post.

Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.
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by perfectblue97 July 19, 2007 8:48 AM PDT
America is supposed to be the land of the free, but I've heard so many tales of censorship and arbitrary content removal that is claimed to be on legal grounds that I'm seriously wondering if Youtube should move its servers overseas to some country where it's executives can't be sued, arrested, etc.

How about one of those bullet proof servers in good old human rights abusing Russia where people are free to post videos of their children playing in their yard.
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by OmegaWolf747 July 6, 2009 8:33 AM PDT
This seems like a knee-jerk reaction on YouTube's part. Everyone is hypersensitive about anything where young children are involved these days that YouTube may think it safer to just delete anything with children in it rather than be accused of being a vehicle for pedos to find their next target.

What a sad world we live in.
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