https://arab.news/zbxmm
- Improper ads removed after review, platform tells Arab News
DUBAI: YouTube has said it takes the protection of its community in Saudi Arabia and around the world “very seriously” after coming under fire again for allowing inappropriate content on its platform.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's General Commission for Audiovisual Media and Communications and Information Technology Commission reiterated the Kingdom’s request for YouTube to remove offensive advertisements posted on the platform.
In a joint statement addressed to YouTube, the GCAM and CITC said that YouTube ads directed at users in the Kingdom included content that was “contrary to Islamic and societal values and principles” as well as Saudi Arabia’s “media content regulations and YouTube Platform Policy.”
The statement added that if “the broadcast of the offending content continues, the necessary legal measures will be taken in accordance with the Telecommunications Act and Audiovisual Media Law.”
A YouTube spokesperson told Arab News: “The improper ads were immediately removed after review and the malicious actor’s ads accounts were terminated, as they violated YouTube's strict advertising policies.
“We take the protection of our community very seriously, both in Saudi Arabia and around the world, and we move quickly to take effective action and will continue to do so.”
Last year, Google blocked 3.4 billion ads. Of these, 286.8 million were for adult content, and 125.6 million were for inappropriate content across its platforms, according to Google’s 2021 Ads Safety report.