YouTube a Part of Drug Cartel Violence

USA Today ran a story over the weekend that reminds us that sharing video online can have a darker side. The paper reports that YouTube has become a weapon in the arsenal of rival Mexican drug cartels, used to celebrate bloody victories and intimidate rivals.

The problem isn’t something new. The Washington Post ran a similar story two years ago as this trend was beginning. Both pieces highlight the “narcocorrido,” or drug trafficker’s ballad, in which professional musicians will sing about cartel leaders over a montage of violent images.

A YouTube rep told USA Today that the company is aware of the issue and “[i]f the video is clearly violent and the purpose is to shock or disgust, we will remove it.”

Early on, drug cartel videos were more brutal, showing prisoners being executed, often by beheading. Those early attempts have since been replaced with the more polished, professional-looking videos that can currently be found.

Graphic violence is an issue YouTube has struggled with throughout its short history. Last year, YouTube co-founder Steve Chen said he still believed that while violent videos were bad, trying to vet content before it gets posted would be worse.

Aside from the obvious moral problems of being the home for such disturbing imagery, content like this that threatens YouTube’s viability to carry on as a business. It’s no wonder the site is looking to put more of an emphasis on professional content rather than the anything-goes ethos that the site was built on.

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