YouTube Keeps Video Labeling Sydney Survivor as Crisis Actor

A Google executive told a government inquiry on Tuesday that a YouTube video questioning footage of a survivor from a December attack in Sydney meets the platform's standards and will remain online. " Google Australia manager Rachel Lord testified that the decision to keep the video had been reviewed at senior levels.

She said the company had spent time considering where to draw the line on such content and continues to re-evaluate its approach.

The inquiry is examining the spread of antisemitism in Australia, including an attack by two gunmen on a Sydney Hanukkah celebration in December that left 15 dead. Police allege the shooters were inspired by the Islamic State group. The survivor had complained about the video after an image of his head wound was posted online two hours after the shooting.

He told the inquiry last month that he had faced online hate, abuse, vilification, and AI manipulation since sustaining the minor wound on Dec. 14. The inquiry was shown an AI-generated image of the survivor appearing to laugh while someone applied fake blood to his head.

A lawyer leading the inquiry's evidence described the video remaining online as demonstrating a "really serious deficiency" in the platform's hate speech guidelines. Lord replied that she appreciated the feedback. YouTube told Australia's online safety regulator three days after the massacre that the platform was focused on ensuring users have access to high quality information about the events, Lord said.