Industry
Creators File Lawsuit Against YouTube Over Alleged LGBTQ+ Discrimination
Published
1 year agoon
By
Cory Ray
- A group of LGBTQ+ creators have filed a lawsuit against YouTube and Google claiming that YouTube flags, suppresses, and demonetizes LGBTQ+ videos.
- The lawsuit claims YouTube restricts content featuring certain LGBTQ+ tags such as “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” or “transgender.”
- YouTube has denied such claims in the past but has not responded specifically to the lawsuit.
The Lawsuit Against YouTube and Google
Several LGBTQ+ creators are suing YouTube and its parent company Google for allegedly discriminating against LGBTQ+ content on YouTube.
Among the accusations, the creators claim YouTube restricts recommendations, demonetizes, and alters the thumbnails of LGBTQ+ videos.
Creators Bria Kam and Chrissy Chambers of BriaAndChrissy, Amp Somers of Watts The Safeword, Chase Ross, Linsday Amer, Chris Knight, Celso Dulay, and Cameron Stiehl all filed the class-action lawsuit Tuesday in San Jose, California.
“Our LGBTQ+ content is being demonetized, restricted, and not sent out to viewers which has highly affected our ability to reach the community we strongly want to help,” Chambers said in a video posted the same day.
In the suit, Kam and Chambers argue that their channel previously earned about $3,500 each month but now only generates about $400-500 monthly.
After posting a music video called “Face Your Fears,” Kam and Chambers said the video was categorized under “restricted mode.” The video was filmed as a dedication to the 2016 Orlando Pulse Shooting, and it features Bria and Chrissy kissing in front of anti-gay protesters.
“They flagged our pride,” YouTuber Chase Ross said. “They did not allow us to buy ads. They restricted us, they demonetized us, and they did not stand up for us.”
Last year, Ross, who often posts about trans issues, accused YouTube of age-gating his videos for including the word “transgender” in the titles.
“Growing up, I was in a very religious household,” said Amp Somers of the sex education channel Watts The Safeword. “I didn’t get any sort of gay education, alone queer education, that applied to me and the sex I was going to have. I created content on the internet that I wish I would have had growing up, but we’re finding it harder and harder to create content on this platform. Google and YouTube continue to censor us and tell us that we’re not breaking any rules but that our content is still not allowed and going to be restricted on this platform.”
YouTube Content Selection and Enforcement
The creators also claim YouTube is restricting LGBTQ+ content featuring words like “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” “transgender,” or “queer.” Notably, YouTube does not publish its algorithm, which can make it hard to tell if your content is actually being suppressed.
While a YouTube spokesperson replied with “no comment” to the lawsuit, YouTube has denied similar claims in the past. Last week, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki pushed back against claims that videos are demonetized for falling under LGBTQ+ categories.
In an interview with vlogger Alfie Deyes, she said, “We do not automatically demonetize LGBTQ content… We work incredibly hard to make sure that our systems are fair.”
She also said YouTube does not have a policy to demonetize a video if it has a certain word in the title, and said both the process for recommending videos and determining ads are independent of each other.
On Wednesday morning, after news of the lawsuit spread, Wojcicki posted Deyes’ Aug. 4 video on Twitter, though it’s unclear if the timing is related.
Really enjoyed spending time with @AlfieDeyes, while visiting the UK to chat about @YouTube mission and goals. Thanks for so many great questions, and congratulations on 10 years on YouTube! https://t.co/GWdPjdZoMW
— Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) August 14, 2019
Another part of the lawsuit says because YouTube is the largest video streaming website, it holds a near-monopoly.
The suit states YouTube “used their monopoly power over content regulation to selectively apply their rules and restrictions in a manner that allowed them to gain an unfair advantage to profit from their own content to the detriment of its consumers.”
The creators use the argument to claim YouTube “goes easy” on some of its biggest creators and cite content from James Charles, an issue that has also been raised in the past with YouTubers like Logan Paul and Felix Kjellberg, also known as PewDiePie.
“[YouTube] continue[s] to restrain the innocuous travel videos of Watts The Safeword under its Restricted Mode, age restrictions, and demonetization rules and practices, while allowing objectively and sexually explicit content that Google/YouTube sponsor and/or profit from to run unrestricted on the YouTube platform,” the suit alleges.
It continues by citing examples from a recent video on the beauty YouTuber’s channel showing him wearing a G-string and spanking a woman’s bare butt while at Coachella.
Even though Watts The Safeword features more mature content, the channel says it personally applies the restricted mode filter to its more sexually explicit videos.
According to the Washington Post, “eleven current and past moderators, who have worked on the front lines of content decisions, believe that popular creators often get special treatment in the form of looser interpretations of YouTube’s guidelines prohibiting demeaning speech, bullying and other forms of graphic content.”
YouTube has also denied those claims.
Response
Following this lawsuit, many online said they were standing with the creators suing YouTube and Google.
YouTube has silenced LGBTQ+ creators for way too fucking long and I'm so goddamn happy people are standing up to it now. YouTube needs to listen. #dontbeevil #LGBTQvsGoogleYouTube
— Jess the Mess (@jaeepeas) August 14, 2019
I'm standing w/ the creators on the #LGBTQvsGoogleYouTube case as they defend their content from the YouTube algorithm and demonetization. #DontBeEvil #BeEqualhttps://t.co/zTFV70o0r1
— Gabbey Goof (@blabbey_gabbey) August 14, 2019
I support those taking legal action against @Google and @TeamYouTube.
— Tom PositiveLad, Esq. (@PositiveLad) August 14, 2019
So many of my LGBTQ friends have had entirely normal content demonitised, advertising withdrawn, hidden behind 18+ walls, removed from search results. @YouTube as it stands is homophobic and needs to change. https://t.co/sd9qKhv7o5
Some on Twitter even shared their own experiences trying to generate LGBTQ+ content on YouTube.
my LGBTQ videos on youtube have been restricted and/or demonetized from day 1, causing me to lose the watch time i needed. when i earned the amount of watch time back, youtube REFUSED to reinstate my monetization, and i couldnt justify making LGBTQ+ content anymore.
— 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣 🔜 colossalcon east (@autumnhause) August 14, 2019
I'm behind them all the way. As a former LGBT+ creator myself, it was infuriating to have content *completely removed* within *minutes* of it going live. I quit doing YouTube because of that & the constant age restricting. I was a tiny channel, I couldn't do anything about it. https://t.co/bMyEJfXp1g
— Shelby Lynn 🏳️🌈 (@ShelbyLynn94_) August 14, 2019
See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Washington Post) (Business Insider)
Industry
Black Mirror or Reality? Microsoft Granted Patent for Tech That Lets It Create Chatbots of Dead People
Published
5 days agoon
January 22, 2021By
Cory Ray
- Microsoft has been granted a patent that would allow it to create artificial intelligence chatbots of dead people using “voice data, social media posts, electronic messages, written letters, etc.”
- As Microsoft noted in its patent proposal, chatbots could also be created to imitate living people — opening the door for users to train a digital version of themselves to be used after they die.
- In the patent filing, Microsoft also suggested creating 2D or 3D models of chatbot subjects by studying images and videos of them.
- Online, many noted the similarities between Microsoft’s patent and a 2013 episode of Black Mirror in which a woman creates an AI version of her deceased boyfriend.
Microsoft Granted Controversial Patent
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted Microsoft a patent for technology that would allow it digitally revive dead people.
If implemented, Microsoft would use information like “voice data, social media posts, electronic messages, written letters, etc.,” to create artificial intelligence chatbots meant to replicate the person.
In its filing, Microsoft noted that the person could be “a friend, a relative, an acquaintance, a celebrity, a fictional character, a historical figure, a random entity, etc.”
Microsoft also noted, “the specific person may also correspond to oneself (e.g., the user creating/training the chat bot), or a version of oneself (e.g., oneself at a particular age or stage of life).”
As The Independent pointed out, that opens up the door for living users to be able to “train a digital replacement in the event of their death.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Microsoft has also suggested creating 2D or even 3D models of the person by studying images and videos of them.
Has Life Finally Become an Episode of Black Mirror?
Online, many noted the similarities between Microsoft’s patent and a 2013 episode of Black Mirror in which a character, played by Hayley Atwell, revives her recently-deceased boyfriend through an AI chatbot. As the episode progresses, that AI — played by Domhnall Gleeson — eventually becomes an exact replica android of her boyfriend.
Slowly but surely the world is turning Black Mirror episodes into reality. https://t.co/ralPVUpK8m
— Phil Venables (@philvenables) January 15, 2021
When Black Mirror trends, but it's just Microsoft being all: pic.twitter.com/WBjGiqpAk0
— iain (@Keroffin) January 22, 2021
“More people that need to remember Black Mirror is a warning sign, not a product manual,” said Tama Leaver, an internet studies professor at Curtin University in Australia.
More people that need to remember Black Mirror is a warning sign, not a product manual … #digitaldeath https://t.co/QWqKxpipYe
— Tama Leaver (@tamaleaver) January 18, 2021
Microsoft granted patent to make chatbot using personal info of deceased people – based on “images, voice data, social media posts, electronic messages”.
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) January 22, 2021
1) Ew.
2) Eerily like fiction. Voicetree in LifeAfter; or Black Mirror Be Right Back.
3) Ew. https://t.co/3cedk8VGPg pic.twitter.com/Gh9u02QjtH
Indeed, many critics have interpreted the episode, which focuses on the grief felt by Atwell’s character because of her loss, as an examination of “our own mortality and our desire to play God.”
“It shines a spotlight on our desperate need to reverse a natural and necessary part of life without considering the consequences on our emotional well-being,” Roxanne Sancto said in a review for Paste Magazine.
In fact, series creator Charlie Brooker said part of his direct inspiration for writing the episode was based on Twitter and the question: “What if these people were dead and it was software emulating their thoughts?”
See what others are saying: (The Independent) (IGN) (Indie Wire)
Industry
JoJo Siwa Fans Caution Against Labeling the Star’s Sexuality
Published
6 days agoon
January 21, 2021
- JoJo Siwa was featured in two TikTok videos Wednesday that many felt signaled her as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
- One showed her dancing and lip-syncing to Paramore’s “Aint It Fun,” along with members of the TikTok group Pride House LA. Siwa specifically mouthed the lyric “Now you’re one of us,” which is also the caption of the post.
- The second video showed her lip-syncing to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” a song that has long been heralded as an LGBTQ+ anthem.
- The 17-year-old entertainer has not directly addressed speculations about her sexuality, prompting many to caution against labeling her.
JoJo Siwa TikToks Trigger Sexuality Speculations
JoJo Siwa fans are urging the public not to label the 17-year-old entertainer’s sexuality, especially when she has not explicitly done so herself.
The request came after Siwa became a trending topic Wednesday when many speculated that she had come out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The speculations stem from two TikTok videos she was featured in. The first was posted on choreographer Kent Boyd’s account. It features him and other members of the TikTok group Pride House LA, which includes several stars from Disney Channel’s “Teen Beach Movie.”
It showed them all lip-syncing and dancing along to Paramore’s hit song “Ain’t It Fun.” Siaw specifically mouthed the lyric “Now you’re one of us.” That lyric was also the caption of the post.
@kentboyd_ Now your one of us!! @itsjojosiwa @molleegray @garrettclayton91 @jekajane #pridehousela
♬ now ur one of us – Mia Mugavero
Later in the day, Siwa posted a video on her personal TikTok account that featured her lip-syncing to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” a song that has long been heralded as an LGBTQ+ anthem.
Part of the lyrics she sang along to were: “No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian transgender life / I’m on the right track baby, I was born to survive.”
Reactions
These posts really started all the rumors online, and things picked up when influencers like James Charles, Bretman Rock, and others expressed their support.



Many fans also left comments on the videos saying they were proud of her, and journalist Yashar Ali tweeted, “This feels like a big deal if it is what I think it is…JoJo Siwa is hugely popular with kids.”
“And as someone just pointed out, if it is what I think it is, she’s doing it at the height of her fame when she’s selling out arenas,” he continued.
This feels like a big deal if it is what I think it is…JoJo Siwa is hugely popular with kids.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 21, 2021
And as someone just pointed out, if it is what I think it is, she's doing it at the height of her fame when she's selling out arenas. pic.twitter.com/oD2YehbZwu
Despite the wave of praise, other fans feel that it’s inappropriate and harmful to make speculations about anyone’s sexuality.
Many have even shared their own experiences coming out, reminding people not to label Siwa as anything until she explicitly chooses to share that information herself.
not even a jojo fan, but this just goes for all people. you should never assume someone's sexuality or label someone as something when they havent said it themselves 🙂 but if she were to come out, she should still be loved and supported https://t.co/Pg5ixZtIcf
— 𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺✨🦋🦕 (@unusavery) January 21, 2021
hey guys, let's not label Jojo siwa or force her to come out (as straight or not) personally, I hated when people would ask my sexuality when I was unsure about what I was or if I even used labels.
— apple?? (@moisttrashcan) January 21, 2021
While Siwa hasn’t directly addressed any of the responses as of yet, she has retweeted a post that features her video, the pride flag emoji, and the caption, “@itsjojosiwa is on the right track, she was born this way.”
Still, others also noted that she has publicly asked Lady Gaga to collaborate with her in the past, so perhaps this is a signal about that happening soon.
@ladygaga I wanna film a YouTube video with you!!!⚡️💓 Message me!!
— JoJo Siwa!🌈💎🎀 (@itsjojosiwa) August 23, 2020
Others believe it could also be Siwa’s way of signaling that she is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
See what others are saying: (Insider) (Metro) (Teen Vogue)
Industry
Google Investigates Top AI Researcher Who Was Looking Into a Previous Firing
Published
7 days agoon
January 20, 2021By
Cory Ray
- Google is investigating the co-leader of its Ethical AI team, Margaret Mitchell.
- While Mitchell has not been fired, her account has been locked because Google said she “exfiltrated thousands of files” and shared them with people outside of the company.
- In a tweet, Mitchell indicated that she had been “documenting current critical issues” related to the firing of another Google AI Ethicist in December.
- Sources reportedly told Axios that Mitchell had been specifically looking for messages that showed discriminatory treatment of that fired researcher.
Google Investigates Margaret Mitchell
On Tuesday, Google stated that it is now investigating the co-leader of its Ethical Al team, Margaret Mitchell.
Mitchell has reportedly not been fired, but her company email account has been locked.
According to Google, its security systems automatically lock employee accounts “when they detect that the account is at risk of compromise due to credential problems or when an automated rule involving the handling of sensitive data has been triggered.”
In this case, Google said Mitchell “exfiltrated thousands of files” and then shared them with people outside of the company.
Why Did Mitchell Begin Looking Through Files?
Mitchell’s investigation is related to the ousting of another top AI ethicist at Google, Timnit Gebru, who was fired at the beginning of December.
Before Gebru was fired, managers reportedly instructed her to withdraw an unpublished research paper upon her return from vacation. In an email to the internal listserv Google Brain Women and Allies, Gebru then voiced frustration at managers for allegedly making the decision without her input.
“You are not worth having any conversations about this, since you are not someone whose humanity (let alone expertise recognized by journalists, governments, scientists, civic organizations such as the electronic frontiers foundation etc) is acknowledged or valued in this company,” Gebru said in a critique of the decision.
Gebru’s firing led to such a massive outcry from Google employees that Google CEO Sundar Pichai pledged to investigate the situation.
On Friday, Mitchell indicated in a tweet that she was also looking into Gebru’s firing, saying that she was “documenting current critical issues from [Gebru’s] firing, point by point, inside and outside work.”
Just after midnight. Hit 10 pages documenting current critical issues from @timnitGebru 's firing, point by point , inside and outside work. For Jeff Dean and whoever might actually read it (no one?). Wistfully remembering when I used to do research.
— MMitchell (@mmitchell_ai) January 15, 2021
According to Axios, sources have said that Mitchell used automated scripts to siphon through messages that potentially document discriminatory treatment against Gebru.
See what others are saying: (Axios) (The Verge) (Bloomberg)

Wealthy Canadian Couple Posed as Motel Workers To Jump Vaccine Queue

Josh Hawley Claims Ethics Complaint Against Him Is “Cancel Culture”

Protests Erupt Across the Netherlands Over COVID-19 Curfew

Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Topless Photo of Her Underage Daughter

Twitter Launches Birdwatch, A Crowdsourced Effort To Combat Misinformation

Forced Off Youtube! Roman Atwood, Jojo Siwa, GameStop WallStreetBets Controversy, & More News

Thousands Protest in Russia Demanding Release of Putin Foe Alexei Navalny

Dominion Files $1.3 Billion Defamation Suit Against Rudy Giuliani

SpaceX Boosts a Record 143 Satellites Into Orbit With Rideshare Launch

JoJo Siwa Swatted After Coming Out as Member of LGBTQ+ Community

Some Flyers Are Forging Old COVID-19 Tests To Travel

Cosplay Instagram Star Belle Delphine Trolls Followers With PornHub Account

Mia Khalifa Shuts Down Death Rumors, Sparks Conversations About Plastic Surgery and Adult Film Industry

Instagram Users Tell Skai Jackson to Stop Posting About Cameron Boyce

Billie Eilish Fans Call Out Twitter User for Sexualizing the Underage Singer

Ace Family’s Austin McBroom and Team Accused of Rape

Joe Rogan Denies Spotify Censorship Rumors, According to Alex Jones

YouTuber MrBeast Responds to Criticism of Massive Tree Planting Project

Man Kills 17-Year-Old Bianca Devins and Posts Photos Online

Netflix Apologizes and Changes Marketing Materials for “Cuties” After Backlash

YouTuber Coffee Break Accuses Kurzgesagt of Being Untrustworthy, Founder Responds

The Onision Controversy Explained

Forced Off Youtube! Roman Atwood, Jojo Siwa, GameStop WallStreetBets Controversy, & More News

WOW! Joe Rogan COVID Controversy, National Guard Outrage, Megan Thee Stallion Fake News, & More News

Trump OUT. Biden IN. What Happens Now? Inauguration 2021, Last Second Pardons, & More News

Dear Jamie, BE HONEST! ARE YOU KILLING THOSE CATS?! Also Barstool, Cody Ko, MrBeast, Navalny, &

Why Joe Rogan is Scared, Strange Armie Hammer Allegations, Justice League, Flint, UFOs, & More News

Banned From Youtube! Belle Delphine Outrage, PewDiePie, AOC, Trump Impeached Again, & More News

HOW ARE PEOPLE THIS STUPID?! New Arrests, Rumble, The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, TheGrefg, & More News

This is so Dumb & Scary! Zendaya, Corpse Husband, Bitcoin, 25th Amendment, Parler Sues, & More News

WOW! David Dobrik Scam Accusations, Horrifying Exposé Sparks Deletion, & More Cyberpunk 2077 Fallout

DISGUSTING! What They Aren’t Telling You About This New Ban & Today’s Ws and Ls: Valkyrae, SCOTUS, &

WHO IS LYING? Video Exposes Controversial Florida Raid & Olivia Jade Felony Scandal Redemption Tour

Belle Delphine Responds To Outrage After Tweeting Out Graphic Photos

Black Mirror or Reality? Microsoft Granted Patent for Tech That Lets It Create Chatbots of Dead People

Capitol Officer Used Himself as a Distraction To Lead Mob Away From Elected Officials During Insurrection Attempt

FDA Recalls 11,000 Ice Cream Containers and Sportsmix Pet Food Products

Netflix Will Release a New Movie Every Week in 2021

Vogue Faces Backlash for Using Casual Photo of Kamala Harris on Print Cover

House Impeaches Trump By Largest Bipartisan Margin in History

Petition Calls for Ban on Sexualized Fanfiction in South Korea

Biden Signs 17 Executive Order During His First Day in Office. Here’s What You Need to Know

Multiple Capitol Police Officers Have Been Suspended, Other Officers Now Under Investigation

JoJo Siwa Fans Caution Against Labeling the Star’s Sexuality

Wealthy Canadian Couple Posed as Motel Workers To Jump Vaccine Queue

Josh Hawley Claims Ethics Complaint Against Him Is “Cancel Culture”

Protests Erupt Across the Netherlands Over COVID-19 Curfew

Kellyanne Conway Accused of Posting Topless Photo of Her Underage Daughter

Twitter Launches Birdwatch, A Crowdsourced Effort To Combat Misinformation

Forced Off Youtube! Roman Atwood, Jojo Siwa, GameStop WallStreetBets Controversy, & More News

Thousands Protest in Russia Demanding Release of Putin Foe Alexei Navalny

Dominion Files $1.3 Billion Defamation Suit Against Rudy Giuliani

SpaceX Boosts a Record 143 Satellites Into Orbit With Rideshare Launch

JoJo Siwa Swatted After Coming Out as Member of LGBTQ+ Community

Some Flyers Are Forging Old COVID-19 Tests To Travel

Forced Off Youtube! Roman Atwood, Jojo Siwa, GameStop WallStreetBets Controversy, & More News

WOW! Joe Rogan COVID Controversy, National Guard Outrage, Megan Thee Stallion Fake News, & More News

Trump OUT. Biden IN. What Happens Now? Inauguration 2021, Last Second Pardons, & More News

Dear Jamie, BE HONEST! ARE YOU KILLING THOSE CATS?! Also Barstool, Cody Ko, MrBeast, Navalny, &

Why Joe Rogan is Scared, Strange Armie Hammer Allegations, Justice League, Flint, UFOs, & More News

Banned From Youtube! Belle Delphine Outrage, PewDiePie, AOC, Trump Impeached Again, & More News

HOW ARE PEOPLE THIS STUPID?! New Arrests, Rumble, The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, TheGrefg, & More News

This is so Dumb & Scary! Zendaya, Corpse Husband, Bitcoin, 25th Amendment, Parler Sues, & More News

WOW! David Dobrik Scam Accusations, Horrifying Exposé Sparks Deletion, & More Cyberpunk 2077 Fallout

DISGUSTING! What They Aren’t Telling You About This New Ban & Today’s Ws and Ls: Valkyrae, SCOTUS, &
