Even more confusing, the channel was reinstated, only to be closed again, then reopened. Mizyan Altawil, spokesman for SNN, said his network is no stranger to scrutiny of its content, but this time the shutdown was different, with no prior warning. In July, its operators found a message saying their channel no longer exists. "There are attempts to finish off the conflict in Syria by any means, including having no coverage or a total blackout on the media by the Syrian opposition," said Tala Kharrat, English department manager for Qasioun News Agency, whose channel was among those shut down and subsequently reopened on appeal.Īnother prominent news platform, the Shaam News Network, has nearly 400,000 videos on its YouTube channel, viewed some 90 million times. Some were convinced the YouTube shutdowns were because of political pressure. Many opposition activists already feel the international scene is turning against them as the Syrian government and its allies make major battlefield gains. The closures' suddenness and breadth stunned those documenting the conflict.
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"Machine learning software doesn't evaluate the importance of understanding conflict and how an image, even a graphic one, can contribute to better understanding of a situation, which is necessary for addressing it," Gross said in an email. Robin Gross, the executive director of the San Francisco-based IP Justice, an organization that promotes internet freedom, said powerful images, even if bloody, can change the minds of the public, as they did in the U.S. Meanwhile, the machine learning is being tweaked. The spokesperson said activists need to improve their data when uploading videos, properly identify them as documenting rights violations and provide context. And when we make mistakes, we act quickly to correct them," the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with company regulations. "The vast majority of time our reviewers get it right. YouTube previously relied in part on a system of community flagging of content deemed inappropriate. A video last year that was viewed more than 4.3 million times showed a child covered in blood and dust after surviving an airstrike in Aleppo, as government forces advanced to recapture the city. Often, the images were the only thing to grab the world's attention in an intractable conflict. Government supporters uploaded their own imagery and propaganda. Militant groups uploaded videos of beheadings. As the conflict got bloody, so did the videos, catching the aftermath of chemical attacks, spectacular aerial bombings, rescuers pulling children from rubble, and new strikes hitting rescuers and survivors. Chemical weapons attack in Syria 14 photosĪctivists used YouTube first to report on the peaceful protests that erupted in 2011 against the rule of President Bashar Assad, using videos taken on mobile phones.
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Also, YouTube provides activists with personal accounts for free and technological tools to edit, translate and upload anytime - vital for people taking video out in the field in dangerous circumstances.
The group limited access to its YouTube channel since 2014, making it a closed channel, after the company warned it over graphic content.īut not everyone can afford to go on their own. VDC, registered in Switzerland, has specialized in documenting rights violations since 2011. "The risk became very big now and we don't trust this platform anymore for keeping violations evidence," Husam AlKatlaby, VDC executive director, said in an email. One prominent Syrian human rights group, the Video and Documentation Center in Syria, said it will stop using YouTube and will set up its own storage and platform. The shutdowns were chilling for a community that had just celebrated a possible precedent for Syria when the International Criminal Court in August issued an arrest warrant based on video evidence for a Libyan military commander. But many activists fear a repeat or a permanent loss. YouTube, which is owned by Google, says it will correct any videos improperly taken down and that it is in dialogue with the activists on a solution. Viral photo become new symbol of Syrian War 06:00
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