YouTube launches 'safety center'
From a MySpace-related suicide to hate speech on YouTube, the world of user-generated content has been plagued by plain, old nastiness since its early days.
That's why, as part of the Family Online Safety Institute conference in Washington, D.C., YouTube parent company Google has unveiled an "Abuse and Safety" resource guide.
According to a post on the official Google blog, the new section of YouTube's help center features "straightforward safety tips and multimedia resources from experts and prominent safety organizations" regarding topics like cyberbulling, privacy, spam, and sexual exploitation.
YouTube also said that the resource guide will make it more straightforward to find out how to manage privacy and safety settings.
The dark underbelly of online video was in the spotlight once again when a Florida teenager used live-streaming service Justin.tv to broadcast his suicide last month.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
Many young people have had their lives made a living hell becuase one person or a group of people determine to target them with cruel and disgusting words and cyber activity.
As a web site owner for safety and security products, I want to do what I can to help put a stop to this behavior and help parents get an edge to help their children deal with it.