YouTube, the popular video streaming platform owned by Google, revealed that it removed more than 2.25 million videos in India during the fourth quarter of 2023 for violating its community guidelines. This figure represents the highest number of removals among 30 nations, underscoring the platform’s efforts to maintain a safe and compliant online environment.
According to YouTube’s statement released on Tuesday, Singapore and the US followed India with 1,243,871 and 788,354 videos removed, respectively. Conversely, Iraq had the lowest number of videos removed, totaling 41,176 during the same period.
Globally, YouTube removed a staggering 9 million videos in the fourth quarter of 2023, with 96 percent of them being initially flagged by machine learning algorithms. Of these, 53.46 percent were removed before garnering a single view, while 27.07 percent received between 1 and 10 views before removal.
In a statement addressing its community guidelines enforcement, YouTube emphasized its commitment to consistent enforcement worldwide, regardless of the uploader’s identity or content origin. The platform employs a combination of machine learning algorithms and human reviewers to ensure policy adherence and content quality.
Furthermore, YouTube disclosed that over 20 million channels were removed in Q4 2023 for violating spam policies, including scams, misleading metadata or thumbnails, as well as video and comment spam. This concerted effort aims to safeguard the platform’s integrity and enhance user experience by combating deceptive and harmful practices.
The removal of millions of videos underscores YouTube’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a safe, transparent, and trustworthy content ecosystem. By enforcing community guidelines rigorously and leveraging technological advancements, YouTube endeavors to foster a positive online environment for creators and viewers alike.
