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YouTube's 'instructional hacking' ban threatens computer security teachers
Earlier this year, YouTube added hacking and phishing tutorials to its examples of banned video content — and that ban has been publicized thanks to an apparent crackdown on an ethical "white hat" hacking and computer security channel.
Kody Kinzie is a co-founder of Hacker Interchange, which describes itself as an organization dedicated to teaching beginners about computer science and security. Hacker Interchange produces the Cyber Weapons Lab series on YouTube, but yesterday, Kinzie reported that they were unable to upload new videos because of a content strike. "Our existing content is being flagged and pulled, just got a strike too," noted Kinzie.
We made a video about launching fireworks over Wi-Fi for the 4th of July only to find out @YouTube gave us a strike because we teach about hacking, so we can't upload it.
YouTube now bans: "Instructional hacking and phishing: Showing users how to bypass secure computer systems"
— Kody (@KodyKinzie) July 2, 2019
The rule is laid out on YouTube's "harmful or dangerous content" page, which bans "instructional hacking and phishing," i.e. "showing users how to bypass secure computer systems or steal user credentials and personal data." As Kinzieandothers on Twitter pointed out, even if that could stop some illegal behavior, it's potentially terrible news for anybody studying computer security — as well as people interested in countering hacking and phishing tricks. Hacking techniques are often used illegally, but they're not necessarily illegal. They're practiced by many legitimate researchers and computer system testers. YouTube has a similar ban for teaching theft techniques, but that's a much less popular (and expansive) pastime than learning about computers.
YouTube says the rule isn't new
(Score: 4, Interesting) by jmorris on Friday July 05 2019, @03:31PM (3 children)
Instead of the weekly bemoaning of more insanity from Big Social, make the effort to GET THE HELL OUT. The SJW stupid has reached levels that simply aren't survivable at them. It has ended their ability to perform their original function. Anyone still even remember "Don't be Evil." or "Broadcast Yourself" as anything but a sad joke?
Upload all the old material to BitChute and carry on. Yes it means having to find a revenue model. Welcome to the real world.
The only thing left to do is for everyone to help generate as much public backlash as possible to kill YouTube so we can have a level playing field. Because YouTube was designed to make any potential competitor be at a serious disadvantage. YouTube doesn't have to worry about turning a profit and can randomly shower fairly large amounts of cash onto creators, creating a big incentive to want to be on that platform. The world won't be safe while it exists.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @05:36PM
AFAIK, there still is competition to youtube, right? There is vimeo, I think, and using it is not going to get you deplatformed from "polite" society by correct-thinking SJWs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @06:37PM (1 child)
bitchute is closed source the last time i checked so i don't know why anyone would recommend that to people. just being decentralized is not good enough. youtube was nice and friendly slaveware at one point in time too. you don't free yourself by going down the road to the next plantation, ffs. use fOSS video sharing platforms like LBRY, bittube and peertube.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 05 2019, @08:36PM
lbry, Not sure if it is any good. But they had a nice sales pitch (ironically on youtube) https://lbry.com/ [lbry.com] https://lbry.com/faq/what-is-lbry [lbry.com]
Bittube reminds me of the 2009 youtube.
Peertube looks promising.
One I was hoping would get better was ipfs. https://ipfs.io/ [ipfs.io] But it has a poor discovery model. Much like early 90s and curated lists. It is in desperate need of a DNS like system.