The Whitelist
This is the third article, in a series of many, highlighting some of the major problems affecting the biggest content platform on the web.
These stories, 100% based on true events, shed light on the motives and reasons behind Conjure, a decentralized content platform built on the NEO blockchain.
In October 2017, Casey Neistat, a YouTube Vlogger with over 8.5 million subscribers, uploaded a video regarding the Las Vegas Shooting. The context was transparent: ad revenue generated from the video would be donated to the victims of the tragedy.
Under the pretense of charity, Neistat encouraged his audience to share the video to increase views and revenue; he also set up a GoFundMe to serve as an additional location to donate.
Demonetized
Despite the video getting over 1.2 million views, YouTube demonetized it — shutting down the fundraising effort.
Hours after Neistat’s video was demonetized, it was discovered that Jimmy Kimmel’s video titled Jimmy Kimmel on Mass Shooting in Las Vegas was monetized and running ads — the exact subject matter Neistat was demonetized for.
Philip DeFranco, another giant YouTube personality, took notice of the discrepancy. He quoted the Neistat and YouTube exchange, gathered and attached the Kimmel evidence, and shared it with his 1 million twitter followers.
The news spread throughout Twitter and was soon picked up by media outlets.
Polygon reported:
“a YouTube representative confirmed to Polygon that there are a number of ‘whitelisted’ partners who are allowed to run partner-run ads on the website. That means they aren’t flagged by YouTube and used external sale forces to sell the advertisement for them.”
DeFranco would later make a video on the topic, summing up the situation and giving his perspective as a long-time YouTube creator.
“this feels like a big middle finger to your average creator that there are different rules based on your size.”
We will analyze the YouTube Whitelist in-depth, along with other events, later in the series.
Look out for Part IV, which continues the story, in the very near future.
Additional Resources
To learn more, check out Conjure’s website.
Follow us on social media to join the discussion and stay updated on developments!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ConjureNetwork
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/conjurenetwork
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Conjure-1115681115237676
Github: https://github.com/conjurenetwork
Telegram: https://t.me/Conjure_network
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conjure_network/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conjurenetwork/
Discord: https://discord.gg/RW2fqthv
