YouTube has announced it will be taking steps to remove supremacist content and will re-examine its anti-harassment policy — following days of backlash surrounding its decision not to ban a right-wing YouTuber for targeting a gay journalist.
The initial announcement came after Vox host Carlos Maza tweeted a viral thread on May 30 highlighting the racist and homophobic abuse he's faced. Over the past few days, the company has released two blog posts saying it would review its existing policies, as well as take steps to ban content that tries to justify discrimination based on traits like sexual orientation, race and gender.
The back-and-forth tapped into a broader discussion around social media companies and what their obligation is to prevent harassment and hate speech on their platforms.
The controversy also comes at the start of LGBTQ Pride Month. So while YouTube's support team announced that the homophobic language by right-wing YouTuber Steven Crowder — who has more than 3.8 million subscribers — against Maza didn't violate its terms of service, the platform was also promoting rainbow and Pride-themed marketing.