Official Blog
Broadcast Yourself
An update on our commitment to fight violent extremist content online
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
In June, we announced
four steps
we’re taking to combat terrorist content on YouTube:
Better detection and faster removal powered by machine learning;
More expert partners to help identify violative content;
Tougher standards for videos that are controversial but do not violate
our policies
; and
Amplified voices speaking out against hate and extremism.
We shared our progress across these steps in
August
and wanted to update you again on where things are today.
Better detection and faster removal
We’ve always used a mix of human flagging and human review together with technology to address controversial content on YouTube. In June, we introduced machine learning to flag violent extremism content and escalate it for human review. We continue to get faster here:
Over 83 percent
of the videos we removed for violent extremism in the last month were taken down before receiving a single human flag,
up 8 percentage points
since August.
Our teams have manually reviewed
over a million videos
to improve this flagging technology by providing large volumes of training examples.
Inevitably, both humans and machines make mistakes, and as we have increased the volume of videos for review by our teams, we have made some errors. We know we can get better and we are committed to making sure our teams are taking action on the right content. We are working on ways to educate those who share video meant to document or expose violence on how to add
necessary context
.
More experts
Outside experts are essential to advising us on our policies and flagging content for additional inputs that better train our systems. Our partner NGOs bring expert knowledge of complex issues like hate speech, radicalization, and terrorism.
We have
added 35 NGOs
to our Trusted Flagger program, which is 70 percent of the way towards our goal. These new partner NGOs represent
20 different countries
and include NGOs like the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College London and The Wahid Institute in Indonesia, which is dedicated to promoting religious freedom and tolerance.
Tougher standards
We started applying tougher treatment to videos that aren’t illegal and don’t violate our
Guidelines
, but contain controversial religious or supremacist content. These videos remain on YouTube, but they are behind a warning interstitial, aren’t recommended, monetized, and don’t have key features including comments, suggested videos, and likes. This is working as intended and helping us strike a balance between upholding free expression, by providing a historical record of content in the public interest, while also keeping these videos from being widely spread or recommended to others.
Amplify voices speaking out against hate and extremism
We continue to support programs that counter extremist messages. We are researching expansion for
Jigsaw's Redirect Method
to apply this model to new languages and search terms. We’re heavily investing in our
YouTube Creators for Change
program to support Creators who are using YouTube to tackle social issues and promote awareness, tolerance and empathy. Every month these Creators release exciting and engaging new videos and campaigns to counter hate and social divisiveness:
In September, three of our fellows, from
Australia
, the
U.K.
, and the
U.S.
, debuted their videos on the big screen at the Tribeca TV festival, tackling topics like
racism
,
xenophobia
, and
experiences of first generation immigrants
.
Local YouTube Creators in Indonesia partnered with the
MAARIF Institute
and YouTube Creators for Change Ambassador,
Cameo Project
, to visit ten different cities and train thousands of high school students on promoting tolerance and speaking out against hate speech and extremism.
We’re adding two new local Creators for Change chapters, in Israel and Spain, to the network of chapters around the world.
In addition to this work supporting voices to counter hate and extremism, last month
Google.org announced a $5 million innovation fund
to counter hate and extremism. This funding will support technology-driven solutions, as well as grassroots efforts like community youth projects that help build communities and promote resistance to radicalization.
Terrorist and violent extremist material should not be spread online. We will continue to heavily invest to fight the spread of this content, provide updates to governments, and collaborate with other companies through the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism. There remains more to do so we look forward to continuing to share our progress with you.
The YouTube Team
ONE + YouTube: Join us in saying ALL #GirlsCount
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
One hundred and thirty million girls will not go to school today. These girls will be denied the joy of reading a great book, the triumph of finally figuring out an equation, and the opportunity to determine their own future.
But it is not just these girls who suffer. The entire world is missing out on a huge opportunity.
The next world-changing breakthrough might be built in a garage in Silicon Valley but if all girls had access to an education, it could also stem from the imagination of someone in South Sudan.
Closing the gender gap in education could generate an additional $112-152 billion a year for the economies of developing countries. And
130 million more educated girls would lead to 130 million more empowered women in the world.
Neither of us could be where we are today if we had been denied this right. Everything we have achieved in our careers was made possible by the quality education that shaped our lives. A seat at the table, whether in Silicon Valley, Washington, D.C., or Addis Ababa starts with a seat in the classroom. Equality
anywhere
won’t be possible until girls
everywhere
get the education they deserve
and it is our belief in this world-changing idea that brings us together today to raise our voices for #GirlsCount.
YouTube Creators for Change and ONE are united in the belief that there is power in every voice and that every girl counts. That’s why YouTube and its incredible community of creators have joined with ONE to bring attention to the 130 million girls who don’t yet have access to an education. Our goal is simple: create the longest video in history, by counting every single girl out of school. Visit
https://girlscount.one.org/
to choose your number and submit your contribution.
Top YouTubers like
TheSorryGirls
,
Whitney White
, and
Maddu Magalhães
, are all coming together to say #GirlsCount and demanding that our leaders listen.
Aboubakar Idriss
has generations of female relatives, including his sister, that are unable to read or write due to being kept out of school and hopes this can shine a light on stories like theirs.
Ensuring that every girl gets the education she deserves is going to take a global effort. Policy-makers and pop stars, CEOs and storytellers, and millions of voices in every country must speak out and urge leaders to act. 130 million girls deserve no less.
Join us as we stand together to say #GirlsCount.
Posted by Gayle Smith, ONE CEO, and Danielle Tiedt, YouTube Vice President of Marketing
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Friday, September 22, 2017
This past Friday marked the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, which started nearly 50 years ago to celebrate the rich history of Hispanics in the U.S. and the tremendous impact they’ve had on American culture and society. This year, we want to celebrate everyone who identifies as part of the Hispanic and/or Latinx community by shining a light on the amazing content that they produce on YouTube. YouTube is overflowing with stories that are rich in Latinx and Hispanic culture and perspective – and it includes voices that span a vibrant spectrum of backgrounds and experiences.
Through humor, beauty, food, music and much more, Hispanic and Latinx creators make an impact every day. They set trends, define American culture, and connect with millions of fans all at the same time. For example, just last month, Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito” became the most-watched video of all time on YouTube. But while Latin music is one of the fastest growing communities on the platform, music is only one small part of a rich catalog of stories Hispanic and Latinx creators are making and sharing. We’d like to take a moment to highlight a few of those creators here:
Lele Pons
, a breakout star of 2017, showcases her pride for her heritage through humorous videos depicting what being Latinx means to her. Using humor to connect with people of all backgrounds, Lele has grown her audience to over 5 million subscribers with viral comedy videos and collabs that range from high school scenes to telenovela parodies and the hilarious
Training to be a Latina
. Similarly, Eric Ochoa (
SUPEReeeGO
), frequently parodies his experiences of growing up Mexican and was recently featured in the YouTube Red show, “Single by 30.” Like Lele, he’s taught us that exploring your background and viewpoint is a great way to build a global community of allies (and subscribers). The popularity of their content on YouTube indicates the community’s desire to see a world online that more authentically represents the world in which we live.
Many Hispanic and Latinx creators are also driving major trends on the platform. Slime videos, for example, were one of the biggest trends on YouTube this year, and DIY guru
Karina Garcia
was one of the key influencers driving the popularity of this category, with wildly popular videos like
this one
. Overall, her slime videos have amassed a whopping 225 million views. Beyond slime, she continues to connect with her community with life hack videos covering a huge range of subjects.
Beauty remains one of the top content categories on the platform and tastemaker
Manny Mua
has not only disrupted the beauty world, but he has also redefined the concept of “beauty guru.” Renowned for his gorgeous makeup tutorials, Manny was recently named Maybelline’s first ever male brand ambassador.
These creators represent just a few examples from a diverse community of Hispanic and Latinx voices on YouTube whose experiences, perspectives, stories and voices all drive a broader connected community. You can find
videos
from them and other Hispanic and Latinx influencers by visiting youtube.com/spotlight all month, with new playlists debuting every Monday through October 9. We also want to highlight fresh new content to include in this playlist, so tag your uploads #HHM or #HispanicHeritageMonth and you may see your video featured.
Danielle Tiedt, Chief Marketing Officer at YouTube, recently watched
“
Let's Talk: Being Hispanic & Latinx Books
.
”
A new YouTube look that works for you
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
When YouTube launched 12 years ago, it was a single website that supported one video format, 320x240 at 4:3 aspect ratio. Fast forward to today, and YouTube lets you watch any combination of SD, HD, 4K, 360, 3-D, and live video on nearly every device with an internet connection – from desktops to phones, tablets to TVs, game consoles, and even VR headsets.
We’ve also introduced apps and services that give you new ways to watch and get even closer to the content and creators you love. Music fans, gamers, and TV lovers each have unique experiences specifically tailored for their favorite content with
YouTube Music
,
YouTube Gaming
and
YouTube TV
. For families looking for the best way to watch together, we launched the
YouTube Kids
app. And for fans who want an uninterrupted, ad-free experience, and exclusive original content from creators, there’s the
YouTube Red
membership.
To put it simply, YouTube’s evolved … a lot. And we’re not even close to done. Over the last few months we've started releasing updates and will continue to throughout the rest of the year. When all is said and done, we'll bring a new level of functionality and a more consistent look across our desktop and mobile experiences.
Let’s start with the YouTube mobile app, which is getting a bunch of new features:
Clean new design
: We’ve made the header white to let content take the lead and moved the
navigation tabs
to the bottom of the app so they’re closer to your thumbs. We also added new
Library and Account tabs
that give you easy access to what you’re looking for.
Videos that move with you
: One of the things we’re working on is bringing gestures to YouTube. Earlier this year, we
introduced
a gesture that allows you to double tap on the left or right side of a video to fast forward or rewind 10 seconds. Give it a try! We already see billions of double taps per day. And I wanted to give you a sneak peek at another gesture I am really excited about. In the coming months, we'll experiment with a feature that lets you jump between videos with a simple swipe of your hand: just swipe left to watch a previous video or swipe right to watch the next one.
Watch at your own pace
: Users love that they are able to speed up and slow down the playback of a video on desktop, and we're excited to bring this feature to the mobile app today, so you can enjoy videos at whatever speed you prefer.
Adapt to any video, beautifully
: We've also been experimenting with new ways to display all videos in the best possible way. Soon, the YouTube player will seamlessly change shape to match the video format you’re watching, such as vertical, square or horizontal. That means you’ll always get the best viewing experience automatically – including vertical videos with no black bars on the sides!
Browse and discover while you watch
: We recently added a feature that lets you view a row of suggested videos while you’re watching in full screen. We're also working on transforming the area below the player so you can browse videos in totally new ways.
Looking beyond the YouTube app, we’ve also been
working
on a new desktop design. And thanks to all the positive feedback, we're now excited to make it available to all our users around the globe starting today! Our new look applies
Material Design
to YouTube and delivers a fresh, simple and intuitive user experience that lets content shine – because there's nothing more important than the creators and videos we all love to watch. My favorite feature of this new desktop design is Dark Theme, which turns the background dark while you watch for a more cinematic look.
The bright red cherry on top of this update sundae is a refreshed
YouTube Logo and YouTube Icon
. Designed for our multi-screen world, the updated Logo combines a cleaned up version of the YouTube wordmark and Icon, creating a more flexible design that works better across a variety of devices, even on the tiniest screens. Why’s it more flexible? When room is limited (say on a smartphone) you can use the brightened up Icon as an abbreviated Logo, which will be seen more easily and read more clearly. You’ll see the new Logo and Icon roll out across mobile and desktop today, and across all our other apps and services soon.
We know this is a lot of change, but we want to make clear that there’s one thing that stays the same: YouTube’s mission. We’re here to give people a voice and show them the world – no matter what device they use.
Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer, recently watched "
YouTube: What will you watch next?
"
YouTube Live with Kevin Durant and host sWooZie
Monday, August 21, 2017
This Tuesday, August 22, 2017, NBA Champion and Finals MVP Kevin Durant will take over The YouTube Space LA.
Hosted by
sWooZie
, Durant will be interviewed by fan favorite YouTube stars
What’s Inside
,
Hot Ones
, and
Ryan ToysReview
for a special
VR180 livestream
. The event will be broadcast live exclusively on his
YouTube channel
starting at 3 p.m. PT.
The
VR180 livestream
can be viewed on desktop and mobile devices in HD, or fans can enjoy an immersive VR experience with Cardboard, Daydream View, and PSVR.
During the livestream, Durant will meet up with Lincoln and Dan of
What’s Inside
to look inside the new
Nike KD10
. They will be joined by Nike Basketball footwear designer Leo Chang to speak more about the design and evolution of the KD signature line. He will also have fun with Ryan of
Ryan ToysReview
before meeting Sean Evans for a
Hot Ones
challenge.
“My experience on YouTube has been incredible and so has the feedback I’ve received from fans all around the world. Being able to give people an inside look at my life on and off the court, as well as push the envelope with never-before-done content is very important to me and the vision for my channel," said Durant. “As I continue to step up the level of content I deliver, and as I keep building my creative network the sky's the limit for what my team and YouTube can do together. The YouTube Live experience is a perfect example of that evolution and I look forward to having some fun as well during this livestream.”
Launched in April 2017, Durant’s channel has gained over 350,000 subscribers and nearly 11 million views fueled by video hits from
Still KD: Through the Noise
to an
epic slow motion dunk
in collaboration with YouTube sensations
The Slow Mo Guys
.
Don’t forget to
subscribe
to get notified when the action starts! See you on the livestream.
Five observations from my time at YouTube
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Earlier this year, I was asked by Google (because they know I am pre "Sucker M.C.") to work on a
Doodle
celebrating the 44th anniversary of the music that changed my life. The birth of hip-hop was a fusion of expression and technical innovation that forever changed our culture and Google wanted to celebrate the moment when it all came together.
I had one condition on participating: that the project be authentic and not some tech company’s interpretation of a cultural revolution. They couldn't agree more and the collaboration led to an amazing interactive experience that used technology and Google’s reach to celebrate the birth of hip-hop. It showed me that Google and YouTube know how to listen to feedback (in this case, mine), and are willing to work hard to get things right.
I joined Google and YouTube because I saw a great opportunity to bring tech and music together and do right by artists, the industry and fans. Eight months in, I’m more optimistic than ever that YouTube can do that, but the truth is there’s still a disconnect between YouTube and the rest of the industry.
So, how did YouTube get here? What explains the current state of YouTube’s relationship with the industry? I think there are five factors that explain the current situation.
Late to the party.
I get why some in the music industry would be skeptical of their relationship with YouTube. They were late to the subscriptions party and YouTube’s focus for many years was largely just on ads. While they have been at subscriptions for a year, and the numbers are very encouraging, YouTube must prove its credibility when it comes to its ability to shepherd their funnel of users into paid subscriptions.
But since I’ve been here, I’ve been incredibly encouraged by what I’ve seen. The team is serious about subscriptions. And now with YouTube Music and Google Play Music merging, I’m confident they will build an even better subscription service. And with more deals like the one YouTube recently signed with Warner, they’re going to be able to take it global.
Twin-engine growth.
The success of streaming subscriptions is one reason why I’m so optimistic about the future. Subscription revenue is still in its infancy, yet it’s already reaping billions for the music industry. It’s not just some business model on a whiteboard; it’s a real and rapidly growing source of cash for labels and artists today.
Some think ads are the death of the music industry. Ads are not death. Death is death. Irrelevance is death. Fans not being exposed to new music is death. My time at YouTube has me convinced that advertising is another powerful source of growth for the industry. YouTube’s ads hustle has already brought over a billion dollars in 12 months to the industry and it’s growing rapidly. Combined with YouTube’s growing subscription service, they’ve now got two engines taking the industry to a more lucrative place than it’s ever been before.
But that all depends on whether or not the industry chokes off these new sources of growth. I’m old enough to remember what the industry was saying about iTunes and Spotify before they started contributing billions to its bottom line. The growth that the industry is seeing today proves that ads and subscription thrive side by side.
Let’s talk dead presidents.
It is important that labels, publishers and YouTube come together to make transparency a reality, as I strongly believe it will help everyone in the industry move the business forward.
Artists and songwriters need to truly understand what they’re making on different platforms. It’s not enough for YouTube to say that it’s paid over $1 billion to the industry from ads. We (the labels, publishers and YouTube) must shine a light on artist royalties, show them how much they make from ads compared to subscriptions by geography and see how high their revenue is in the U.S. and compared to other services.
For instance, critics complain YouTube isn’t paying enough money for ad-supported streams compared to Spotify or Pandora. I was one of them! Then I got here and looked at the numbers myself. At over $3 per thousand streams in the U.S., YouTube is paying out more than other ad supported services.
Why doesn’t anyone know that? Because YouTube is global and the numbers get diluted by lower contributions in developing markets. But they’re working the ads hustle like crazy so payouts can ramp up quickly all around the world. If they can do that, this industry could double in the next few years.
Fortune AND fame.
Every day for the last 30 years, I’ve woken up with the same thought: maybe today’s the day I’m going to meet an artist that’s going to change pop culture. I love watching when an artist goes from obscurity to celebrity. That’s my drug.
Every artist I’ve ever worked with wanted some fame and fortune. YouTube will deliver fortune … but I think they need to be just as focused on bringing the fame. YouTube is already a great force for breaking new artists; in fact, the majority of music watchtime on YouTube is coming from its recommendations, rather than people searching for what they want to listen to. But YouTube needs to find new ways to promote and break artists and their albums so they have a chance to shine on the platform and connect with their fans. This is one of my biggest priorities and you’ll see more coming soon.
Without safe harbor, we’d all be lost at sea.
I’ve spent my professional life fighting for artists to get what they deserve. I’ve worked with the RIAA and the IFPI to fight piracy since back when the main concern was bootlegged tapes. Safe harbor has become an obsession -- with many complaining it’s the cause of all of industry’s woes. I’m not parroting the company line when I say the focus on copyright safe harbors is a distraction. Safe harbor helps open platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud and Instagram give a voice to millions of artists around the world, making the industry more competitive and vibrant.
Every artist should be concerned if their music shows up online without credit or payment. But YouTube’s team has built a system in Content ID that helps rightsholders earn money no matter who uploads their music. As of 2016, 99.5 percent of music claims on YouTube are matched automatically by Content ID and are either removed or monetized.
Before Content ID, when a fan shared a song with a friend through a mix tape, it was called piracy. Now it's generated over $2 billion for content owners and goes far beyond what the safe harbor provision requires.
One of the first jobs I ever had in the music business was working as a road manager for Run DMC. Doing that taught me a lesson that has formed the core of what I’ve tried to do my entire career: set things up well so that the artists and fans can come together and make magic happen. I’ve spent my entire life helping artists achieve fame and fortune. I wouldn’t have joined YouTube if I didn’t believe the company was committed to delivering more revenue to artists, labels, publishers and composers -- they just have to set them up well and get out of their way.
With love and respect,
Lyor Cohen
Lyor recently watched “
Brothers Gonna Work It Out
”
Introducing a new way to share YouTube videos
Monday, August 7, 2017
Remember the first time you heard the opening beats of “
Despacito
”? Your ears perked up, your foot unconsciously tapping beneath the table. Like every “Despacito” loving person before you,
you can’t help but dance
, and when you'd finally caught your breath, you had to share it with all your friends. It would be wrong to keep something
this good
to yourself. And that means you had to copy and paste a link into an email, social or messaging app to share that moment.
But like chats around the water cooler, shouldn't sharing a video be as easy as saying, “Have you heard this new song?” We’ve been experimenting with a better way to share videos on YouTube since last year. Thanks to all your feedback, we made some improvements and are now ready to roll out this new sharing feature to all users globally.
Starting today, you can share videos with your friends and family directly on YouTube. Not only can you share and receive videos in the app, you can also chat about them right on YouTube, reply with another video, invite others to the conversation, and more. We think it’ll make sharing easier, faster and more fun on your phone. And if you want to continue sharing videos through other apps, you can still do that too.
These shared videos all live in a brand new tab on your YouTube mobile app, making it easier than ever to catch up on videos your friends have shared or to show them a few of your own favorites.
Start a group, share your favorite “Despacito” version and make a friend dance!
Benoît de Boursetty, Product Manager, recently shared “
A new way to share on YouTube
.”
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