If you follow the Google Transparency Report, you will have seen this official Google description of what the report measures:
Google regularly receives requests from copyright owners and reporting organizations that represent them to remove search results that link to material that allegedly infringes copyrights. Each request names specific URLs to be removed, and we list the domain portions of URLs requested to be removed under specified domains.
That means that the transparency report only measures links in Google’s search engine. That doesn’t include Blogger which is a hot bed of links to sites using the BitTorrent protocol, and it also does not include YouTube.
YouTube, of course, is a site that is 100% within Google’s control and for which Google sells 100% of the advertising.
We’ve always wondered why the transparency report doesn’t include all take down notices that Google receives across all of its platforms, because that would be…you know…transparent.
Today we find out from a Google representative (the elusive and nameless Google representative who really gets around) that YouTube took down 180 MILLION infringing videos LAST YEAR ALONE according to PC World:
Google argues that new laws aren’t needed to protect copyright holders.
“We’ll continue working to protect people using our services,” Google’s lawyer said Monday. Last year alone, he said, it removed 500 million “bad ads” and over 180 million YouTube videos for policy violations.
Aside from the mindblowing number of takedowns, this admission raises a more interesting question. If any advertising was sold against the 180 million videos–and it would be hard to believe that NO advertising was sold–what happened to that money? Did any advertisers get a refund?
What do you think?
The Trichordist 
I would say that another perspective here is that if you look at the number videos removed and the number of bad ads…you get an idea of just how bad the problems are at YouTube…yet they wear it like a badge of courage. It is like government saying we don’t need a sensible drug policy because look at all the drugs we’ve confiscated.
And for every 180M removed, how many are missed? And really, for any artist or rights holder who isn’t a major company, how do you manage this? I’ve spoken to dozens of artists in the past year and a half while working on our solution for UGC and many of them have simply given up because they can’t keep up. The sheer scale of growth is making it impossible, yet doesn’t every artist deserve the right to control their own destiny? This issue is not going to go away.
One of the latest tricks I’ve seen pirates do is to post a video on YouTube that is simply an image with zero audio (no Content ID flags). Then in the description they have a link to the movie or tv show or album you want access to and it takes you to an external site.
A simple way that makes Content ID’s ID…look like a joke.
In a word, doubt it. Oops, that’s two words.
Reblogged this on MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY and commented:
Is anyone surprised?
That is mindboggling. I can’t help but wonder what is being taken down – and why . . . Where is the line for infringement? Do actual human beings review any of these cases?