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Now YouTube Is Aiding And Abetting Vandalism?!?

from the say-what? dept

Thu, Jan 4th 2007 5:18am — Mike Masnick

We've seen a bunch of stories lately trying to blame YouTube for the actions of its users, and can't quite understand why it's so difficult for people to grasp that YouTube is just a platform. If people do something stupid on it, it's their own fault, not YouTube's. While the latest such story doesn't completely blame YouTube, it does claim that YouTube is "aiding and abetting" vandalism by glorifying such acts. Of course, that leaves out the obvious response: it also makes it incredibly easy to track down and punish those involved in the crime. In fact, that's exactly what's happening in this case. For all the "blame" being placed on YouTube, it allowed the school involved to easily figure out who was involved in the vandalism. Would they really have preferred to have no clue who broke the window?

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26 Comments

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ReallyEvilCanine, 4 Jan 2007 @ 5:33am

Typical blame game
Blame GooTube rather than their own failings as parents as well as the failings of other parents and then sue whoever's got the most money.
"Aiding and abetting"? Where do the unwashed masses come up with this shit? I blame "realistic" TV courtroom shows. Just as the '70s introduced us to pop psychology, so too did the '90s introduce us to pop juris prudence so that every idiot able to plug in a TV can parrot phrases he heard on Law & Order.
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Sanguine Dream, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:16am

If I didn't know any better...
I would say these people thought that the idea of posting the footage on YouTube was the sole and only reason that the vandals did what they did. That's as funny as the **AAs claim that stopping one file sharing site will be "significant blow" to file sharing.

In instances of small crimes like this I like the idea of letting those dumb enough to post footage on the net of their crimes, makes them easier to catch. This is one of the few examples in which stupidity (and the desire for attention) acutally does some good.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:17am

So I suppose COPS is aiding and abetting seeing as how I love watching other rednecks in wifebeaters get a nightstick to the teeth...Or how about whenever a high speed pursuit is happening the TV stations film that. Aren't those all "glorifying" criminal activity?

What youtube needs is a police admin section. When a crime appears on YouTube, the IP address becomes available upon request of police in the area of the IP address. That would allow YouTube to be responsible in the eyes of the law while putting the actual workload on local authorities.
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Ackphlat, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:45am

Not my Alby
Proving once again that people are a**holes at the end of the day. Does this also mean that the internet is aiding and abeting porn????????We should turn the whole internet off so we can all be safer in our caves.
God I am moving to Siberia.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:47am

Police Reporting
How about a button to notify that an image has identifying footage of illegal activity? Much easier to charge if there is an actual video of the act and the perpetrator (I wont say suspect - we can see his face, we know he did it).

I do think people misunderstand YouTube a great deal. I would happily vote down some content, and may be even express what a prat somebody is, but before somebody throws out stupid statements like "aided and abetted", they should really understand how this stuff works. Still - they were a *union* of the most rigidly minded thinking population - the *teachers* - so how could we expect any more thought from them...
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TW Burger, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:49am

Is it SATAN?!!!
This does smack of the standard "blame the media/pop culture/video games/music/fluoride in the water" for any and all failings of youth. Just as Black Sabbath played backwards did not have messages encouraging devil worship, YouBoob does not encourage anything except, perhaps, exhibitionism.

What really surprises me is that there is anyone out there that is so blindingly stupid that they place evidence incriminating themselves in a public forum. The only reason could be is that any punishment is very unlikely (or they are blindingly stupid).
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The infamous Joe, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:54am

Oh no, AC#2!!
The IP Address proves even LESS here than it does when the **AA incorrectly uses it to identify people. If I find a video of a crime on a personal website, and I think it's share-worthy so I post it on youtube, all of a sudden the cops are going to be knocking on my door? That will add more work, not less work, for the fuzz.

C'mon-- use old-fashioned Americas Most Wanted methods. Offer rewards for capture, or gift certificates to Amazon for all it really matters.
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misanthropic humanist, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:55am

teaching
"I would say these people thought that the idea of posting the footage on YouTube was the sole and only reason that the vandals did what they did."

I think that's exactly what they believe. What is worrying is the people spouting this nonsense are teachers. No wonder we are raising a generation of invertebrates if they are being led by this example.

Who will teach our teachers critical thinking?
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The infamous Joe, 4 Jan 2007 @ 6:55am

Re: Oh no, AC#2!! (Edit: AC#3
Damn fat fingers. I meant 3, not 2.
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PRBTown, 4 Jan 2007 @ 7:02am

Re:
In total agreement with Anonymous. Not only would we get a bunch of criminals off the streets but could be creating more jobs in the US with the "police admin section" in YouTube
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TriZz, 4 Jan 2007 @ 7:32am

Re: Is it SATAN?!!!
I'm going to sue Techdirt for aiding and abetting poor comments.
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Sanguine Dream, 4 Jan 2007 @ 7:56am

Re:

What youtube needs is a police admin section. When a crime appears on YouTube, the IP address becomes available upon request of police in the area of the IP address. That would allow YouTube to be responsible in the eyes of the law while putting the actual workload on local authorities.

Hold on partner. What about proxies and a video that gets posted multiple times on YouTube? If a video of vandalism is posted by 10 different users from 10 different IP addys then how do you know which (if any) is the IP addy of the offenders?

And in theory it may make YouTube look good what happens when an offender posts a vid of criminal activity through a proxy, YouTube gives up the "address" to the local police (wherever it might be) and it turns out it was some kid that found the vid somewhere else and put it on YouTube? I wonder who will get the blame?

Just leave YouTube alone. The idiots seem to let themselves be known. But as soon as you try to enforce something people will stop using YouTube and move on to a more discreet site.
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chris (profile), 4 Jan 2007 @ 8:10am

Re: Not my Alby
Does this also mean that the internet is aiding and abeting porn?

the world wide web IS porn. it is liteally constructed from pornography.

a good 75% of the technology that makes the web useful was developed, tested, and proven thru porn insudstry:

online payment systems (ecommerce)
streaming video
interractive content
web cams

porn is what makes the web go 'round :-)
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Jan 2007 @ 8:15am

Re: Re: Not my Alby
And that is why we should wait and see which, if either, high dvd format the porn industry takes up.
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Chronno S. Trigger, 4 Jan 2007 @ 8:23am

Re: Re: Re: Not my Alby
They have taken up neither. They won't choose one until one becomes dominant. That's why I believe both will fail.

As for this crap, maybe if these people are stupid enough to put the incriminating evidence on youtube than they are stupid enough to be influenced into doing it by the crap on youtube. Still not an excuse but there are some really dumb people out there.
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skotElektron, 4 Jan 2007 @ 8:24am

its a story
sounds like some journalists are "aiding and abetting" dumbassedness
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Skot Elektron, 4 Jan 2007 @ 8:25am

but
they get plenty of attention for saying stoopid things
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vps hosting, 4 Jan 2007 @ 8:37am

It is Just a platform
As the author mentions,it is just a platform and nothing else, the people contributing are the main one's who end up streaming these videos.The truth is that there are many other streaming websites which are not highlighted for this.Youtube has gained popularity eventually and is being focused.
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Meee, 4 Jan 2007 @ 8:47am

I say they also start suing Microsoft because the Windows operating system supports pirated software. Hell, they should sue themselves.

And then sue Google as well because it shows pirated software websites in its search results.

And while we are at it, why not sue Firefox and IE because they are aiding YouTube by displaying it on their browsers...and YouTube is a big criminal here.

Sigh.
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Mark Piontek, 4 Jan 2007 @ 9:17am

"Would they really have preferred to have no clue who broke the window?"

Yes.
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Some Moron, 4 Jan 2007 @ 9:23am

Oh my god!! It is because we have no moral compass! blah blah blah!!!

Seriously though, I completely agree. We should be happy when idiots post their crimes on Youtube. Not only do they set a great example but they are extremely easy to catch!
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Lianne, 4 Jan 2007 @ 9:31am

Re: teaching
No wonder we are raising a generation of invertebrates if they are being led by this example.

That's very funny. Sad but true and funny.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Jan 2007 @ 9:39am

HDDVD and BLUEray will fade to the DVD+R/DVD-R standard. everything will be compatable with both. can anyone show me a NEW DVD recorder that doesn't do both standards? since there is no real reason to go one or the other, and no side is willing to conceede, it'll go back and forth. no one wants to back a winning horse. i mean, if you could wait until the last milisecond to bet on horse races, wouldn't you?

it makes it cheaper. why develop 2 dvd's when only 1 will last? idk...

i digress.
we had a thing at PSU last year, when we beat OSU in football. many kids joined the facebook group "i stormed the field after the OSU game" and may got tickets for tresspassing. same issue came up...cops shouldn't use it. your stupid for saying you did someething illegal. facebook made me do it...

after a while the group changed to "i MAY have rushed the field..." and that made the cops do more work (they still caught people, but ya know)

does it make ppl do stupid things? maybe. take mardi gras. people flashing (although illegal) for some beads. does this mean mardi gras should be baned? it incides illegal activity.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Jan 2007 @ 9:50am

Re: Re:
Agreed. When will we start seeing posts with critical thinking again? Thanks for the refreshing rebuttal as it saves me the time blasting the fool who suggested it.
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GMan, 4 Jan 2007 @ 10:31am

Why is nobody saying anything to the Teacher's Uni
If the kids are stupid enough to post the video to the web, what kind of job are the teacher's doing? :>)
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hyrulio, 4 Jan 2007 @ 10:34am

¬_¬
Basically what's goin on is they can't sort the problem, so they shift the blame, and because the media want's us to be paranoid about everything that is internet, it reports the dark side of the story, exagerates the negatives, and makes all kinds of stuff up.

Also, Sanguine Dream, the videos arn't all posted at the same time, obviously, so check out the IP of the first posting... Simple...
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