Google Hinders Publication of Video of ICP Questions at UN on Burundi, Youth Wing, So Patreon

By Matthew Russell Lee, New Platform

UNITED NATIONS, May 8 – With the large social media platforms like Google and Facebook vowing to use algorithms to prevent terrorist recruitment and for other purposes, the crudeness of results, intended or not, has come to the fore. Now Google's YouTube is engaged in systematic financial censoring of independent videos about censorship. Like many independent media, Inner City Press publishes its coverage and associatedcommentary not only on its website but on a number of third party platforms like YouTube,Twitter, Facebook, Scribd and SoundCloud. YouTube is owned by Google, and like its parent allows publishers to monetize their material with advertisements.

But do YouTube and Google behind it engage in censorship? As Inner City Press ramps up its fight against the eviction of its shared office in the United Nations while asking questions about UN corruption, it has received a series of e-mails from YouTube that its videos on these topics "cannot be monetized" with ads. On May 7, it received this email denying monetization to a questions and answer conducted by Inner City Press about Burundi, where even the UN has said there is a risk of genocide. Here is the Google / YouTube email Inner City Press received, "We didn't approve your video(s) for monetization because the content in your video(s) or video details may not be advertiser-friendly. 'On Burundi, ICP asks PBC Chair Patriota of Mbonimpa, Training of Youth Wing in DRC, Illicit Flows.'"

On May 4, Google issued a final, non-appealable denial on monetization to a video of a UN Q&A about Kurdistan and Sri Lanka: "After reviewing your video, we’ve confirmed that the content in your video or video details aren’t advertiser-friendly. As a result, your video can’t be monetized. "At UN on Countering Violent Extremism, ICP Asks CTED & Iraq NGO of Kurdish Women Fighters, Sri Lanka" YouTube reserves the right to make the final decision about video monetization." Google also said this video couldn't be monetized: "Inner City Press Asks CPJ To Push UN for Press Freedom Rules, HRW's UN Rep Dodges on DMCA Censorship" - after Google gave in to a frivolous request from athen-Reuters, now-HRW rep who claimed his anti-Press email to the UN was copyrighted. (This Louis Charbonneau dodged the question on May 3 at the EU Mission to the UN, here). This is doubly disgusting: Google is denying monetization to a Q&A about its own censorship. So, question: does Google have an algorithm to deny monetization to independent content which criticizes it? 

On April 23 YouTube similarly went back todeny monetization to Inner City Press videos about Yemen, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Darfur, the Golan Heights, DRC, Gaza, Ukraine, Qatar, UN censorship. On April 24, Google / YouTube denied Inner City Press' appeal and irrevocably denied monetization to these (compare to longer list below and marvel and the "logic" of this censorship). 

After reviewing your videos, we’ve confirmed that the content in your videos or video details aren’t advertiser-friendly. As a result, your videos can’t be monetized.

• "On Yemen, ICP Asks UN Spox of Blocking of Medical Supplies, Who Is Raising to Saudi-Led Coalition?"
• "On Syria, UN Calls Missile "Speculative," Prepares An "Evidence Based Narrative: Video with Captions"
• "After UNAMID Covered Up Darfur Rapes, Ladsous Won't Answer Press Q Why Didn't Say Army There"
• "ICP Asks Yemen PR Of Sa'ada Destroyed by Airstrikes (“Rebuild”), When Reach Sa'ana? (“Few weeks”),"
• "On Syria, Reuters' Charbonneau Insists, "I Have the Mic, Isn't Government to Blame?," Then Latakia"
• "On Syria, Ban Ki-moon Summons Press, Then Has Little To Say, Takes No Questions"
• "UN Won't Say What Ban Discussed with Kerry or if Missiles Illegal Sans UNSC, Won't Name DRC Units"
• "On Luhansk Bombing, June 2 Ukraine PR Denies, Then June 4 Tells ICP of OSCE Web Site Blocked"
• "After Darfur Rapes Denied by UN, ICP Asks Of Any New Investigation, Is Told of Call to Ladsous"
• "ICP Asks Gordon Brown of Sexual Abuse of CAR Children by Sangaris Force, & Of S. Sudan"
• "UN's Darfur Cover Up Report Still Withheld, ICP Asks of Under-Reporting of Deaths in CAR"
• "On Darfur Rapes, ICP Asks UN If Ban To Raise Tabit to Ghandour; Ladsous Met “Nice” with Sudan Dip"
• "In Darfur, Despite Tabit Rapes Etc, Why is UNAMID Cutting 770 Posts? ICP Asks, Here's Response"
• "On Gaza, Feltman Won't Tell ICP If Serry Met Hamas, Qatar-Funded Private Jet UNdisclosed"
• "On DRC, ICP Asks Kobler of Flying FDLR Leader, Impunity for Minova Rapes and General Amisi"
• "On Syria Chemical Weapons Facilities, ICP asks UN Why Sole Source Contract, UN Says Ask OPCW"

YouTube reserves the right to make the final decision about video monetization.

This April 23 email initially denied monetization to: 
"As on Syria UNCA President Pushes for No Fly Zone, UN Tries to Ban FUNCA, Other Views"

"In Syria, OPCW Cites Lack of Safety, UN Spox Says "We" Won't Comment, Sri Lanka Report Denied?"

"On Armenia Genocide Event, ICP Asks Who Goes for UN: Silent Geneva Rep, Dieng's "UNrelated” Event"

"On Darfur Rapes, UNAMID Police Chief Sites “Spoilers” to ICP, On Abuse in Haiti, No Transparency"

• "In Iraq, UN Tells ICP Baghdad Is Safe, No Comment on Myanmar Inter-religious Marriage Ban"
• "On Gaza, Feltman Won't Tell ICP If Serry Met Hamas, Qatar-Funded Private Jet UNdisclosed"
• "Ukraine's Sergeyev Says Journalists Didn't Follow Rules, Denies Again Luhansk Building Bombing"
• "ICP Asks of Darfur Rapes & Ladsous Says Reporting Has To Be What It Is- No Military Minders?"
• "After UN's Ban says IDF Soldier Captive of Hamas, IDF Says Killed 1st, No Correction, UN Tells ICP"
• "On S. Sudan, ICP Asks UN of Closing of Juba Airport, If Arms Brought In, ENHAS; Col. Bakosoro"
• "UN Won't Say What Ban Discussed with Kerry or if Missiles Illegal Sans UNSC, Won't Name DRC Units"
• "On Darfur Rapes & UN Document Showing Army Filmed Interviews, UN Says It Won't “Comment on Leaks”"
• "On Sudan, ICP Asks UN Why Parts of Mission in Darfur Closing Despite 130,000 UNverified IDPs"
• "On Rwanda Genocide, ICP Asks UN Why Ladsous Waived Rights After Minova Rapes & For LRA But Not FDLR"
• "On Syria, UN Calls Missile "Speculative," Prepares An "Evidence Based Narrative: Video with Captions"
• "On Syria, UN Won't Answer ICP if Annan in Iran Was Coordinated, Why Photos Banned: FUNCA"
• "Richard Falk Says Dexia's Owners Liable for Settlements in Palestine, ICP Asks Where & of Regulators"
• "UN To Start Shooting in DRC in 48 Hours, Won't Names Units It Supports: #LADSOUS2013"
• "On DRC, ICP Asks Kobler of Flying FDLR Leader, Impunity for Minova Rapes and General Amisi"
• "On Palestine, Ban Ki-moon Dodges on ICC when ICP Asks, FUNCA Censored From UN Transcript,"
• "ICP Asks Gordon Brown of Sexual Abuse of CAR Children by Sangaris Force, & Of S. Sudan"
• "ICP Asked Palestine's Mansour of US Opposition to Draft, Mansour Said Abbas & Kerry Discussed"
• "ICP Asks Yemen PR Who Invited Sudan Troups Into Aden (Hadi) and About ICC Indictment (UNanswered)"
• "On Tabit Rapes in Darfur, Amb Delattre Tells ICP of SC Statement in Nov 2014, But UNAMID Nov 9"
• "On Gaza, ICP Asks Serry If He's Leaving Post in October, & If Board of Inquiry. He: Up to Ban."
• "On Syria's Request UN Probe Khan al Assal, UN Says It Explained, then Re- Explains, Kane Games"
• "At UN, Herve Ladsous Omits Abyei & Golan, Questions UNanswered on DR Congo for Months"
• "ICP Asks Syrian Coalition's Ghadbian of US "Foreign Mission," Arms. He: Pilot like TOW Missiles"
• "On R2P, ICP Asks UN's Dieng & Welsh of S Sudan & Burundi, UN Failure in Sri Lanka and Critique"
• "Israel PR Prosor Speaks on #BringBackOurBoys, Afterward Tells ICP No Draft Press Statement, Nothing"
• "On Syria, Ban Ki-moon Summons Press, Then Has Little To Say, Takes No Questions"
• "On Yemen, ICP Asks UN If Its Envoy was UNaware of Houthis Meeting US UK EU in Muscat, Leaked Email"
• "On Syria Chemical Weapons Facilities, ICP asks UN Why Sole Source Contract, UN Says Ask OPCW"
• "On Bombing of Luhansk Building, UN's Simonovic Tells ICP His Team Not Expert, Maybe More"
• "In DRC, UN OKs Jamming M23 Rebel Radio, Silent on Sudan Hostages and Who's Excluding Press from UNGA"
• "DRC Tshibanda Tells ICP UN Gave Waiver to Work With 2 Generals Against LRA - But Not FDLR, “Ask UN""
• "ICP Asks Yemen PR Of Sa'ada Destroyed by Airstrikes (“Rebuild”), When Reach Sa'ana? (“Few weeks”),"
• "After Ladsous' Cover Ups in Sudan Like DRC & Haiti Have NGOs Telling Ban to Fire Him, UNresponsive"
• "On DRC & Its Exclusive on GoE Report, ICP Asks UN if MONUSCO Counts Blind Among Disarmed FDLR"
• "On Yemen, ICP Asks UN Spox of Blocking of Medical Supplies, Who Is Raising to Saudi-Led Coalition?"
• "On Ukraine, ICP Asks PR Sergeyev of IMF and Minsk, Conditions for Recouping Border Control"
• "On Syria, Lavrov Speaks (Too) Softly, Draft Resolution to All UNSC Members This Night, Sep 26, 2013"
• "Syria Meeting at Russian Mission Sept 11 Was On Chemical Weapons Initiative, Resolution Not Shown"
• "Ban Ki-moon Speaks of Shelling of UNRWA Schools, But Spox Won't Tell ICP If or When Board of Inquiry"
• "After Darfur Rapes Denied by UN, ICP Asks Of Any New Investigation, Is Told of Call to Ladsous"
• "On Darfur Rapes, ICP Asks UN If Ban To Raise Tabit to Ghandour; Ladsous Met “Nice” with Sudan Dip"
• "UN's Darfur Cover Up Report Still Withheld, ICP Asks of Under-Reporting of Deaths in CAR"
• "On UN's “Human Rights Due Diligence Policy,” ICP Asks Simonovic of DRC, FDLR, South Sudan"
• "ICP Asks Matthew Rycroft of Leer in South Sudan, Sudan Troops in Yemen, When UNSC Meets on Burundi"
• "On Afghanistan, Kubis Claims UN Impartial, LOTFA Cleaned, Too Early on SG, Maxwell Case Closed?"
• "When UN Claim It Was Banned from Darfur Rape Zone Is Disputed, Spox Insists UNAMID Is Credible"
• "In Yemen, ICP Asks UN Spox if Envoy Spoke With Groups Who Don't Support Hadi, For Pause, Seems Not"
• "For Update on Accountability for Minova Rapes, UN tells ICP to "Ask DRC," Dodges on FDLR-DRC Links"
• "Ban Ki-Moon Gets & Speaks on 2d Syria Chemical Weapons Report, Declines Q on It & N Korea Execution"
• "ICP asks Israel's Prosor of UN's Feltman, & If New Rapporteur Can Enter; “Meet & Work Together""
• "On Luhansk Bombing, June 2 Ukraine PR Denies, Then June 4 Tells ICP of OSCE Web Site Blocked"
• "On Syria, Sigrid Kaag Tells ICP $10M in OPCW, $2M in UN Trust Fund - But When & Where Report?"
• "On Syria, UN Tells ICP It Welcomes Evidence and E10, Narrative Will Include Witness Statements; DRC"
• "On Gaza, ICP Asks UN DSG Why No SG Outreach to Hamas, Citing Qatar-Funded Jet, Not Needed, -DSG"
• "On Ukraine, UK Lyall Grant calls Simonovic report "forensic" disproving of Russia claims: April 16"
• "At UN on Palestine, Of Settlements & Withheld Taxes, by InnerCityPress.com"
• "Araud Says Sale of Warships Continues & On Syria Draft If US Pilot Downed, He Would Go to ICC"
• "As OSCE Asks Kyiv to Free Journalists, ICP Asks UN, Which Has Contacted No One"
• "Of UN's Report on Its Darfur Cover-Up, UNSC Only Gets Summary, Press & Public, Mere Statement"
• "ICP Asks Palestine's Mansour If Join ICC If No UNSC Reso; He Says Not Conditional, Wants to Join"
• "As UN Flies Gov't Officials to Darfur, In DRC Murky on M23, Nothing on Katanga or Sri Lanka"
• "On Iran, ICP Asks Shaheed of De-SWIFTing, Impact of Sanctions and of P5+1 Nuclear Talks"
• "Amnesty Int'l Says Syria Rebels Shouldn't Be Armed, Yet, of Golden Rule and Censorship at UN"
• "Of Odessa May 2 Fire, ICP asks UN's Simonovic About Probe(s), Journalists Detained by Ukraine"
• "As Syria Bound Truck Resists Search in Turkey's Hatay, ICP Asks UN's Amos, Who Talks Surgical"
• "As UN Says It Protects DRC Civilians, Accused of Shooting Two Civilians Itself, Double Standards"
• "On Syria, UN Tells ICP Sellstrom's Report on Chemical Weapons Pushed from Oct to Early Dec, Why?"
• "After UNAMID Covered Up Darfur Rapes, Ladsous Won't Answer Press Q Why Didn't Say Army There"
• "On Syria, Kaag Re-Pledges Transparency on OPCW Chemical Weapons Funds, Cites Maritime Costs,"
• "On Syria, Reuters' Charbonneau Insists, "I Have the Mic, Isn't Government to Blame?," Then Latakia"
• "Four Days: UN Spox Said Not Aware UN Flew FDLR in DRC, Never Updated, Won't Say When Knew Had Misled"
• "In Darfur, Despite Tabit Rapes Etc, Why is UNAMID Cutting 770 Posts? ICP Asks, Here's Response"
• "At UN Noon Briefing, There Are No Answers, On Myanmar & DRC Army Rapes, Off Stride"
• "On Gaza, ICP Asks Palestine's Mansour of US Ammo Transfers to Israel"
• "ICP Asks Ukraine PR Sergeyev of Grad Rockets by Donetsk, IMF and Ceasefire Positions"
• "On Ukraine, UN Spox Says Restoration of State Control Should Be Peaceful: But, "Surrender or Die?""
• "ICP Asks Palestine & Jordan of US Opposition to Draft, Mansour Says Abbas Spoke with Kerry,"
• "On Yemen & US Drone Strikes, ICP Asks UN If Houthis Have Consented, Spox Says “Details,” Ban UNmoved"
• "On Darfur Rapes, ICP Asks UK Rycroft Of Cover Up as in CAR; He: UN Reviews May Ensure Follow-Up"

  The week before on April 17 this list grew to include a simple Q&A with the UN about censorship in Mali, Paul Biya's cut off of the Internet in Cameroon, and refugees in Lebanon, from Syria. Inner City Press uploaded a video and nearly immediately received this: "Thanks for submitting your video(s) for monetization. We didn't approve your video(s) for monetization because the content in your video(s) or video details may not be advertiser-friendly. 'ICP Asks UN of Mali closing 47 radio stations, Cameroon Net Cut, Syria refugees at risk in Lebanon.'" How can Google and YouTube justify this? It is driving content away from them and to, for example, Patreon (here).

 Google has, on appeal, said "After reviewing your video, we’ve confirmed that the content in your video or video details aren’t advertiser-friendly. As a result, your video can’t be monetized. YouTube reserves the right to make the final decision about video monetization." This final Ban of monetization applies for example to:

• "On Syria, Samantha Power Tells ICP No One "Decent" Supports Qaeda-Linked Groups, Urges Aid Access"

• "On CAR Rapes, ICP Asks UN of #CodeBlue on Commission, Subpoenas, Ladsous, Spox Says “At Some Point""

• "On UNSCParis Attacks Resolution, ICP Asks UK Rycroft of Vienna I, French Delattre of UN Charter"
• 
  
• "ICP Asked HRW Why Its Yemen Event Is Behind Closed Doors with UN Censorship Alliance, Periscope Here"

• "ICP Asks UN About 2nd Delay of CAR Rapes Report by Ban Ki-moon's Panel, Kicking Can Down Road"

• "ICP Asks Amnesty of Death Sentences in Nigeria & Egypt, Obama's Release of Jets, Rockets & Tanks"

• "Libya's PR Dabbashi Says He Was Criticizing the UK, For Saying Only Ansar al Sharia Fighting ISIL"
• 
  
• "Boko Haram Is on UN Al Qaeda Sanctions List, Chair Quinlan Say: But Do They Have a Bank Account?"
• 
  
• "Why Were Ban Ki-moon's Remarks on Charlie Hebdo Attack Not In UN Media Alert? FUNCA Asks"

• "ICP Asks UN Why It Says Yarmouk in Syria Is No Longer Besieged, Is Told That's Semantics, UNclear,"

• "On Yemen, ICP Asked Jordan FM Judeh of Casualties, AQAP Benefiting, He Said That's Not the Goal"

• "UNSC Stakeout on Libya, Press Elements on Extremisms, ICP on Dabbashi, Qs on South Sudan"
• 
  
• "After US Drops Arms in Kobane, ICP Asks, UN's Ban “Notes” It, Wants in “Broad Context” of Int'l Law,"
• 
  
• "ICP asks UN Women about ISIS, UN Cover Up of Tabit Rapes in Darfur, Kim-for-Kane Post Loss"

• "In Golan After UN Peacekeepers Hand Over Guns to Nusra, UN Won't Say If Ladsous Ordered It"

• "On Yemen, ICP Asks UK Rycroft About Vince Cable & Arms Sales to Saudi; Syria Q&A Too"

• "On Syria, Churkin Says No Russian Green Light For Turkey, UK Sounds Green, US Power"
• 
  
• "ICP Asks Ladsous Why Left Chad Troops Die in Mali, Sex Abuse in CAR, Terrain in S Sudan, No Answer"

• "ICP Asks Venezuela FM Delcy Rodriguez About Syria and Yemen, Who Dominates UN DPKO & DPA Posts"
• 
  
• "ICP Asked Saudi PR of US Criticism of Executions, al Nimr, Here's UK Matthew Rycroft on UNSC Process"
• 
  
• "On Yemen, ICP Asks UN of US-Made Cluster Bombs Dropped by Saudi on Sana'a, Envoy's One-Sided Visits"
• 
  
• "On Yemen, ICP Asked Uruguay VM Cancela of Civilians Hit by Saudi Strikes in Yemen, He on Hospitals"
• 
  
•  "ICP Asks UN Spox of Burundi Rapes & Deployments to CAR, No Updates, Peacekeeping & Sri Lanka"

"ICP Asks UN Counter-Terrorism Center of Boko Haram Victims, Who Are UNCTC's Non-Saudi Donors?"

"On UN Rapes, ICP Asks Khare of Light Penalties for Statutory Rape, Where is #Ladsous?"

  This is the opposite of what Google and similar mega-platforms claim to be doing. Facebook, as another example, talks about flying Internet-distributing drones over Africa. So why haven't they done so over Southern Cameroons in the past 55 days? These platforms should be urged on these issues. On this censorship of the Press by denying or delaying monetization, it seems clear that someone or something has gotten Google's YouTube to do it. We'll have more on this.

   Monetization was similar denied for an Inner City Press video about being ordered out of the UN Press Briefing Room for a "French only" briefing by outgoing French president Francois Hollande, murkily arranged by the UN's still holding-over spokesman Stephane Dujarric. 

 On March 4, monetization not only of Q&As involving Sri Lanka and Ukraine and Yemen has been blocked - now, even a video from inside the UN Press Briefing Room, an exposé of UN censorship. Google's YouTube  wrote:

"We didn't approve your video(s) for monetization because the content in your video(s) or video details may not be advertiser-friendly.

"French Delegation Tells Press To Leave UN Briefing Room for Hollande, FUNCA Says No"

  This was the "precedent" Dujarric wanted to erase, to claim that Inner City Press standing the principled stand that the UN Press Briefing Room has to be for all, not just some chosen, journalists.
"UNcensored 1-4: Evicted from the UN For Investigative Reporting, by Matthew Russell Lee""    The emails said “Controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown... We depend on our user community to flag inappropriate videos to us for our review.”

  Even after appeal, videos whose titles including the word "Nusra" for example are deemed ineligible for monetization.

This is no longer a mis-application of a terrorism screen. This is a pattern at Google, see here.
   These are video of questions and answers (sometimes) at the UN, of protests in the streets of New York, etc. Inner City Press has written,  to Monetization then to Press [at] YouTube.com:

“The videos you are saying are “not advertiser-friendly” are videos of media questions and answers with United Nations spokespeople and diplomats. They are news. The message sent yesterday and today said “you can request an additional review below” - this is a request for review. Look at the videos: they are Q&As in the UN Press Briefing Room.

This is also a request to be informed if it was any complaint to YouTube / Google which triggered this denial of monetization, and if so if it came from the UN or any[one else.]
I note that Reuters [now HRW], got one of its anti-Press emails to the UN banned from Google Search with a frivolous DMCA filing, here.

Please confirm receipt and review the above and restore monetization, answering the question. Google and YouTube should not be involved in any form of censorship, including the denial of monetization of news footage."

Still no substantive answer. So, like at the UN on unilateral decisions to target, evict and restrict particular media, and like some decisions by Twitter to which we will next turn, there is no appeal. (UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who has bragged about the UN's "use" of YouTube, ran out when Inner City Press asked about this, here.) This is UNacceptable. We'll have more on this.