Showing weapons on YouTube will not be as easy as it used to be. The Google subsidiary officially prohibits images of firearms circulating within the video residing on their platform.
Through its official website, YouTube explicitly explains its new policy. Almost any content related to firearms, whether it be guns, ammunition, or accessories such as silencers, goes to the YouTube banned list.
They also participate in video censorship featuring techniques to assemble a rifle. Of the many restrictions, YouTube only allows videos containing demonstrations of weapons.
"We regularly update and adjust the guidelines in all our policies," said a YouTube representative as quoted by CNN on Thursday (22/3).
The spokesman also said their service guidance will come into effect in April.
YouTube has for many years banned the sale of firearms on their platforms. It's just that since the shooting incident that occurred in the United States, YouTube continues to tighten their video rules regarding firearms.
YouTube has been under pressure for some time now. As a medium of video content, they are judged to have a major influence on society.
The pressure they receive is not only about the content of firearms, but also the hoaxes and conspiracy theories that milling about easily.
Not long ago, YouTube took a step towards addressing hoaks seriously. They plan to paste a text box containing the Wikipedia page with relevant information as a supposedly false video counter.
However, the plan to use Wikipedia is still limited to discourse only. There is no certainty as to when the plan is rolling.
YouTube's seriousness in controlling negative content can not be separated from the series of heartbreaking incidents in the US. The newest is shooting at a school in Florida.
Not long ago the incident was publicly known, a conspiracy theory actually flourished wildly. The conspiracy theories call David Hogg, the survivor, as the mastermind behind the shootings.
The theory thrives on YouTube.