The CEO of Google-owned YouTube, Neal Mohan, defended the platform’s recent decision to demonetize actor Russell Brand’s channel in the wake of sexual assault allegations, saying that users can be suspended from monetization due to “off-platform news” that puts “the broader creator ecosystem” at risk of being “damaged.”
“If creators have off-platform behavior, or there’s off-platform news that could be damaging to the broader creator ecosystem, you can be suspended from our monetization program,” Mohan told CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet Photo: Christoph Soeder/dpa (Photo by Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“It’s impacted a number of creators and personalities on the platform in the past. And that’s what played out in this particular case around the serious allegations,” the YouTube CEO added.
After being asked how YouTube decides when to step in and hinder a user’s account before due process has even played out, Mohan said, “We endeavor to apply those rules, equally across our entire creator ecosystem.
The YouTube CEO went on to insist that the platform was “not playing favorites.”
“Not playing favorites, having them apply to the content, the behavior, as opposed to who the person is,” he said.
Brand, who is estimated to earn more than $1.2 million a year from the advertising revenue on his YouTube videos, had his account demonetized by the platform following allegations of sexual assault — which the actor vehemently denies.
Under the new terms, the Forgetting Sarah Marshall star is still allowed to post videos to YouTube, but he will not receive any of the advertising revenue.
Some people believe that YouTube’s decision to strip Brand’s channel of monetization is an extreme response, given that the actor has due process and the situation that hasn’t even played itself out yet. Moreover, there have been no criminal charges filed, and no legal decisions related to the claims have been made.
“If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action to protect the community. This decision applies to all channels that may be owned or operated by Russell Brand,” YouTube said in a statement when it announced the demonetization.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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