The ADC has welcomed the decision by Bunnings, Telstra, Vodafone, Foxtel and Nestle to continue withdrawal of their marketing campaigns with YouTube over the company’s failure to implement effective measures to prevent legitimate advertising appearing alongside hateful content, including anti-Semitic, racist and misogynistic videos.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“We applaud the clear-eyed and principled stance by these retailers over You Tube’s consistent failure to effectively address the epidemic of hate speech which has spread throughout the platform. The ADC has repeatedly called on digital giants such as Google, which owns YouTube, to ensure that they are providing a safe environment for its users and for ads of reputable products. YouTube should not allow bigots and anti-Semites to use this global platform to spread their invective and dangerous agenda by posting racist, sexist and xenophobic content which then feature along legitimate ads. We live in an era where extremist movements and organisations can spread lies globally from the privacy of their homes, and the powerful video sharing technology of YouTube is enabling the disseminating of blood-libels, Holocaust denial and hate filled content easily, cheaply and instantaneously. There is no doubt that the explosion of cyberhate is having a tremendous negative impact on individuals and our society, and the main onus is on internet companies to ensure that online communities are safe and welcoming for all people and groups.”
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on 9272 5677.