What is YouTube for? We all know it is there as a means for ordinary people to make and upload clips for other people to watch, but is the underlying motivation of the site?
Is it there purely as an entertainment portal for funny and viral video clips; or as a portal for media companies to upload clips from TV shows and music videos to draw consumers in to being fans of their product?
Or, as Wael Abbas was using the site for, is it a way of getting alleged civil rights abuse footage out to the wider world?
Suspended For Rights Abuse Videos
Last week, Wael claimed he had his account suspended by YouTube, and the graphic images, and video clips he had posted showing police brutality, purported voting irregularities and anti-government demonstrations became inaccessible.
The suspension caused uproar amongst civil rights campaigners and activists who were upset that YouTube was seemingly banning the site from being used as a portal to expose abuse claims.
His suspension came just at the time that the Egyptian government was pushing to crack down on media which was in opposition or independent of the government and its policies.
YouTube claimed at the time that the decision to suspend Abbas’s account was an internal one that had “nothing to do with the Egyptian government.”
YouTube Change Their Mind
On Monday, YouTube reactivated Mr. Abbas’ account and said he could repost the graphic images of purported rights abuses if he puts them in to a proper context. Their statement on the subject read:
“Our general policy against graphic violence led to the removal of videos documenting alleged human rights abuses because the context was not apparent.”
“Having reviewed the case, we have restored the account of Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas. And if he chooses to upload the video again with sufficient context so that users can understand his important message, we will of course leave it on the site.”
Conclusions
What “sufficient context” means exactly was not made clear, but this case certainly raises questions over what is and isn’t acceptable on YouTube.
Gratuitous violence clearly isn’t right for a site which kids and adults can peruse at will, but when it raises questions over Government abuses, and tries to make the world a better place, is that justification enough?
