After having many advertisers fleeing its platform due to ads showing on extremists' videos, more advertisers are stopping their ads on YouTube due to knowing that their ads are showing next to videos that appeared to attract pedophile viewers and comments
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The backlash was what critics say is the inability of YouTube owner Google, and parent Alphabet Inc., to effectively police the video service.
YouTube is unable to assure advertisers that their ads won't appearing near inappropriate or offensive content.
Brand advertisers, including candy-maker Mars Inc., sportswear company Adidas AG, alcohol-giant Diageo PLC, and British satellite TV operator Sky PLC’s subsidiary, Now TV, have all said that they had paused advertising on YouTube.
They responded after the Times of London reported ads for those companies were showing next to videos of young children, many of which attracted lewd comments from viewers.
As more companies are stopping their ads, YouTube is having a crisis with a potential millions of dollars lost in advertising revenue.
A spokesman for YouTube said that it forbids comments that sexualize or exploit children, and that those type of videos should never have displayed any ads. "We are working urgently to fix this."
" We have recently toughened our approach to videos and comments featuring children which may not be illegal, but give cause for concern."
"We also work closely with the Internet Watch Foundation, NCMEC and others to prevent child sexual abuse imagery from ever being uploaded and report it to law enforcement."
"We are committed to getting this right and recognise we need to do more, both through machine learning and by increasing human and technical resources."
Read more: YouTube Addresses Child Exploitation Issues Using Machine Learning, People And Experts