by Ailan Evans
YouTube prevented a video about a missing Chinese tennis star from receiving advertising revenue on Friday.
The video, titled “Chinese Star VANISHES After Rape Accusation I Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar” and appearing on the Breaking Points channel, was demonetized early Friday, according to a tweet from the channel’s host Saagar Enjeti.
Enjeti posted a screenshot of an email purportedly from YouTube to the Breaking Points channel informing him that the video “isn’t suitable for all advertisers” and would not be eligible to run ads.
The video concerned Peng Shuai, a female tennis player in the Women’s Tennis Association who is reportedly missing after she accused former vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in a Nov. 2 Weibo post. Following Peng’s post, Chinese authorities attempted to remove all traces of the post from the internet, CNN reported.
“Sorry @YouTube. We meant to say Peng Shaui is safe and sound and just can’t wait for the Olympics in China which ofc is the best country in the world!” Enjeti tweeted as a caption to the screenshot.
Google did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request as to why the video was demonetized.
According to Google’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines for YouTube Partners, content about “sensitive events” or “controversial issues” can be grounds for a video being placed in a “limited or no ads monetization state.” It’s not clear which guideline the Breaking Points video violated.
YouTube was previously found to be removing comments containing certain phrases insulting to the Chinese Communist Party.
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Ailan Evans is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Peng Shuai” by Claude Truong-Ngoc CC BY-SA 3.0.
