California/New Delhi: Google's video streaming platform YouTube conducted the biggest cleanup campaign in its history in the second quarter of 2023 (April-June). The company removed more than 9.5 million videos and closed 4.8 million channels, most of which were spam, fake accounts, or violated community guidelines. This information has come to light in YouTube's quarterly update report.
Why were videos and channels removed?
1. Community Guidelines Violation (62%):
Misinformation: Fake news related to COVID-19, Ukraine war and Indian elections.
Hateful content: Videos inciting violence on the basis of religion, gender or community.
Child Safety: Child pornography and spam content targeting children.
2. Spam and scams (28%):
- "Get Rich Quick" videos, fake lotteries, and content with phishing links.
AI-generated channels that misused the voices and images of Bollywood celebrities.
3. Copyright infringement (10%):
Channels that streamed movies, songs, and live sports without permission.
Data for India: Top 3
Videos deleted: 15.2 lakh (16% of total)
Channels banned: 7.3 lakh
Top complaints:
1. Political hate videos (during UP and Bihar elections)
2. Fake health tips (like "cure diabetes by eating onions")
3. Fraud in the name of cheap smartphones.
How does YouTube's AI technology work?
AI scanner: 70% of videos were detected by AI tools (like Content ID and Machine Learning Models).
Human reviewers: 3.4 lakh content moderators conducted manual checks.
User reports: 92 lakh complaints were filed by users, of which 34% were acted upon.
Impact and reactions:
Positive: 44% reduction in spam on the platform, increased user trust.
Negative: Creators alleged “over-regulation”. Many legit channels (such as medical education) were removed by mistake.
Indian YouTubers react:
Gaurav Chaudhary (Tech YouTuber): “This is a good move against spammers, but AI should also take care of creators’ rights.”
Digital rights groups: “YouTube should share details of banned channels in transparency reports.”
Way forward:
YouTube plans: Further upgrade AI tools by 2024, so that removal accuracy goes above 95%. Indian government warns: Adds appeal provision for content removal under IT rules.
Note: If your channel was removed by mistake, start the YouTube appeal process [here](https://support.google.com/youtube)