Youtube finally bans predator Austin Jones, is child murderer OakleafNL next?
Yesterday we published about Youtube’s hypocritical ‘content policy’. In the article - among others - we addressed youtuber Austin Jones, a man who this month pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and coercing 6 underage female fans to send him sexually explicit photos. Youtube refused to delete his channel initially. After online outrage, only hours ago, they finally removed Austin’s channel after all. Who’s next to be banned from the platform?
On February 5, BBC wrote Youtube insisted it takes claims of sexual misconduct “very seriously” and that it “stopped the monetisation” of the Austin Jones channel in 2017 so the youtuber was not able to make money from advertisements anymore.
However, Youtube did not delete his channel. In the BBC article it states Youtube does remove content when the youtuber(s) behind a channel has/have been convicted of a crime “in some cases”, when the content is closely related to the crime committed.
Youtube faced backlash for not removing Austin’s channel, after which today - less than 48 hours after their initial statement - they decided to remove his channel, writes The Verge.
““We take safety on YouTube and allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously,” a YouTube spokesperson told The Verge. “When we’re made aware of serious allegations of this nature we take action, which may include terminating business relationships, suspending monetization, or, in some cases upon conclusion of an investigation, terminating channels.””
When you try to visit Austin Jones’ channel by using his channel name, is says the channel ‘does not exist’.
When you search for his channel ID on google, and use the link to it, it will say ‘This account has been terminated for violating Youtube’s Community Guidelines’.
Youtuber Austin Jones’ youtube channel on February 7, 2019. Photo: Youtube
The Daily Mail wrote about what Austin Jones allegedly said to the children he groomed, and while Youtube already stopped the monetisation of Austin’s channel in 2017 after his arrest, they only banned his channel completely from Youtube in 2019 after pressure from Youtube users, the media and activists.
“‘If you really are my biggest fan, you would do it! You’re doing so good I need my biggest fan to be confident... I have to see your butthole to know for sure that you care 100%... spread for a good 15 seconds,’ he allegedly wrote.
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It seems Youtube will only take action after massive outrage.
Austin Jones’ channel being banned now is a victory for those who’ve been advocating for a safer community on Youtube. By banning his channel, Youtube is taking a step in the right direction. However, we’re not done yet. This is only the beginning.
Youtube still allows OakleafNL on the platform - a Dutch youtuber named Jos Brech, who has been arrested based on a DNA match after a 20-year police investigation, concerning the murder and possible sexual assault of 11-year-old Nicky Verstappen.
There are many other youtubers Youtube hasn’t banned yet, that shouldn’t be on the platform.
PhotoandGrime started the hashtag #TimesUpYoutube to address Youtube’s hypocritical Community Guidelines, that barely protects users at all. We will continue to encourage Youtube to ban predators from the platform, and ask them to change their policies, and ban predators from the site.
We encourage everyone to tweet at us concerning Youtubers you believe shouldn’t be on the platform. You can also use the hashtag #TimesUpYoutube too.
Petition: Ask youtube to ban predators and abusers from Youtube, here.
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