The Super Chat feature was launched last year by YouTube to allow viewers to be able to leave comments alongside livestreams; and of course, it is a paid service and given special preference as it helps them in generating revenue.

While the feature generates quite some thousands of dollars in revenue, YouTube typically collects about 30%, with the creators keeping the rest, but any of the proceeds from Super Chats that violate its policy will be donated to charity.

The Wall Street Journal in a recent report revealed that in the wake of the mass shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue, Pennsylvania that some users of YouTube tapped the Super Chat feature to have anti-Semitic comments alongside a livestream by far-right YouTube celebrity Ethan Ralph.

And the livestream channel had some 22,500 subscribers, with users having topics that can be wide-ranging, from events like the tragedy in Pittsburgh and the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to critiques of the media and internal debates among members of the far-right online communities.

The use of Super Chats to spread racism and hate speech is perhaps the latest headache for YouTube, and the biggest video platform is now poised to moderate contents even more strictly.

In response, YouTube has permanently banned Ralph's YouTube channel, and stated that it's now using machine-learning technology to spot hateful comments and would hold them up for closer inspection, according to the Journal.

How the Super Chat feature on YouTube can be hijacked to spread hate speech



The Super Chat feature was launched last year by YouTube to allow viewers to be able to leave comments alongside livestreams; and of course, it is a paid service and given special preference as it helps them in generating revenue.

While the feature generates quite some thousands of dollars in revenue, YouTube typically collects about 30%, with the creators keeping the rest, but any of the proceeds from Super Chats that violate its policy will be donated to charity.

The Wall Street Journal in a recent report revealed that in the wake of the mass shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Synagogue, Pennsylvania that some users of YouTube tapped the Super Chat feature to have anti-Semitic comments alongside a livestream by far-right YouTube celebrity Ethan Ralph.

And the livestream channel had some 22,500 subscribers, with users having topics that can be wide-ranging, from events like the tragedy in Pittsburgh and the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to critiques of the media and internal debates among members of the far-right online communities.

The use of Super Chats to spread racism and hate speech is perhaps the latest headache for YouTube, and the biggest video platform is now poised to moderate contents even more strictly.

In response, YouTube has permanently banned Ralph's YouTube channel, and stated that it's now using machine-learning technology to spot hateful comments and would hold them up for closer inspection, according to the Journal.

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