(Image Source: YouTube )


BY JOHN O’CONNOR

ANCHOR CANDICE AVILES

Despite pressure from the White House, Google has refused to remove the anti-Islamic video that incited violent protests worldwide from YouTube.

YouTube — which operates under U.S. law — released a statement Friday saying the video is "clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube." 

The company lists eight reasons a video could be removed from the site on its “Community Guidelines” page …

But Craig Timberg of the Washington Post notes , “ Inciting riots is not among them.”

However, under the sixth provision in its list of guidelines YouTube states “ … we don't permit hate speech (speech which attacks or demeans a group based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, and sexual orientation/gender identity).”

So why doesn’t the anti-Islamic film “Innocence of Muslims” violate this sixth provision of the community guidelines? Google told The New York Times it’s because the film targets a group rather than its individual members.

“In this case, the video stays up because it is against the Islam religion … not Muslim people.”

Egypt’s Prime Minister told the BBC that the U.S. government needs to do more if they want to prevent this series of unfortunate events from happening again.

“It’s unacceptable to insult our prophet, peace upon him … So we need to do a lot of work if we want to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” 

But Tim Wu — a Columbia University law professor — says Internet companies have replaced nations’ governments as the authorities on free speech.

“Notice that Google has more power over this than either the Egyptian or the U.S. government. Most free speech today has nothing to do with governments and everything to do with companies.” 

A CNN analyst says despite pressure, Google made the right decision to protect free speech.

“It’s a bright line, and you have to protect it. Once you start to compromise it starts to slip your fingers like water, and when you look in your hands you have nothing left of what free speech was.”

Although the film will remain on YouTube, Google says it has temporarily restricted its access in Libya and Egypt give the “difficult situation.”