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YouTube thought my Steam Deck video was 'harmful and dangerous'

By - | Views: 35,472

Here is your daily dose of what the heck? YouTube and the mighty algorithm decided for no apparent reason, that my Steam Deck video was "harmful and dangerous".

Over the last few months the GamingOnLinux YouTube channel has managed to gain around triple the amount of followers it once had. This is mainly due to the Steam Deck, and my decision to cover updates to it both in articles and in short concise videos (and people seem to really like the format).

According to YouTube though, this video was just a step too far:

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An email lands in my inbox from YouTube, noting it was removed for violations against their "harmful and dangerous policy". That's right, the Steam Deck is a dangerous weapon and we should all need to carry around a license or something? Perhaps having two of them and dual-wielding is just too much for YouTube.

Thankfully, after going through the appeals process, the video was restored.

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It's another reminder that moderation bots are stupid and having all your eggs in one basket is not a great idea either.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
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52 comments
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Mohandevir Aug 19, 2022
Probably the bot made this decisions based on "The fear of the unknown"!

Ridiculous!
StoneColdSpider Aug 19, 2022
Lucky you were able to get the video restored..... A lot of other YouTubers have not been so lucky.....
damarrin Aug 19, 2022
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I like how they write their team has reviewed the content where it's obvious no human has looked at it at that point.
Pendragon Aug 19, 2022
Quoting: GuestCue the post obligatory post on Odysee comment with all the other Open Source / FOSS people. ;p

Youtube really does suck though ... case in point: look up "Totally Not Mark" on Youtube
drjoms Aug 19, 2022
Not amazing.
Alphabet/Google/Youtube become authoritarian trash.
ShabbyX Aug 19, 2022
While this was obviously a bug in their algorithm, said algorithm is also preventing brainwash videos from turning your child into a terrorist, racist etc.

Would you have rathered such an algorithm not exist? People should bear in mind the terrible complexity that such an algorithm entails. Can *you* code such an algorithm? If not, you can't expect it all to work flawlessly.
StalePopcorn Aug 19, 2022
Maybe an Odysee mirror? I'm not sure if they've implemented a 'st0opitr0n' bot yet.
slaapliedje Aug 19, 2022
haha, were you trying to subvert the populous to your Linux-gaming ways? Evil Liam, plotting to overthrow the governments of the world with your Steam Deck news!
Lamdarer Aug 19, 2022
Quoting: ShabbyXWhile this was obviously a bug in their algorithm, said algorithm is also preventing brainwash videos from turning your child into a terrorist, racist etc.

Would you have rathered such an algorithm not exist? People should bear in mind the terrible complexity that such an algorithm entails. Can *you* code such an algorithm? If not, you can't expect it all to work flawlessly.
If your child can get of trail just by watching some videos than there are clearly some other issues. Also in that case rating the video as "not qualified for kids" would be enough.
There would be plenty of options for YouTube to do a better job(let creators rate their videos them self, have different levels of visibility, hire more moderators, have a better reporting system etc), also there are other issues with the algorithm like hiding content from subscribed viewers and promoting content that YouTube finds for some reason more promotable.
Yes no system is perfect but YouTube clearly isnt doing enough, this isnt a new issue but an old one.
robvv Aug 19, 2022
Harmful and Dangerous to the Windows ecosystem, maybe?
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