Singapore in top lO list for objectionable uploads to You lube

Republic stepped up enforcement after online safety Act took effect in Feb 2023

- Taryn Ng

Singapore is among the top 10 nations that have uploaded the largest number of YouTube videos removed for flouting community guidelines.

According to Google Transparency Report, YouTube owner Google removed a record number of 1.2 million objectionable videos in Singapore in the last three months of 2023, putting it in second place after India. In the latest report showing numbers for January to March 2024, Singapore came in 10th with about 100,000 removals.

About 40 per cent of the removed content from January to March 2024 violated child safety, including cyber bullying and sexualisation of minors, and about a quarter promoted dangerous or threatening pranks and instructional theft. Removed videos also typically promote self-harm, hate, deception, violence and vulgarity, according to YouTube's community guidelines.

Singapore first appeared in the top 10 list from July to September 2023, ranking third with about 640,000 removals.

Transparency reports on video removals go as far back as July 2019, when Google first published them. YouTube uses a combination of artificial intelligence tools and human reviewers, including those in the community, to detect undesirable videos.