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(CNN) - Despite instituting a stricter policy around hate content in June, YouTube has been criticized for doing very little and not providing enough transparency.
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In a blog post on Tuesday, YouTube said it had removed more than 100,000 videos and more than 17,000 channels for violating its hate speech rules in April through June, which is five times more than it removed in the last three months. It also removed more than 500 million hate speech comments.
YouTube attributed the increase to its recent efforts to counter the proliferation of hate content. In June, the company updated its hate speech policy to include a ban on supremacist content and the removal of videos that deny well-documented atrocities, such as the Holocaust, and the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
YouTube, which is owned by Google, also said it has been able to remove more objectionable content before it was widely seen, efforts that have resulted in an 80% decrease in content views that are later removed for violating YouTube’s rules.
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Despite the new policy, YouTube has not taken action on channels belonging to prominent hate broadcasters, such as white supremacist Richard Spencer and former KKK leader David Duke.
Earlier this month, the Anti-Defamation League published a report that found at least 29 YouTube channels that advocated anti-Semitic and white supremacist content. While some of the channels mentioned in the report have been removed, many still remain on the platform.
In the last week, YouTube has also changed content decisions. For example, he eliminated and then restored several channels with white nationalist views, including Vdare and Iconoclast.
“We realize that many may find the views expressed in these channels as deeply offensive. However, after a new review of the content, we restored the channels, ”a YouTube spokesman told CNN Business.
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While YouTube did not provide a clear explanation of its decision-making process, the spokesman said it generally eliminates channels that are completely dedicated to violating its policies or to repeat offenders of its guidelines.
This Tuesday, YouTube also said its machine learning systems are improving. More than 87% of the 9 million videos that he deleted during the second quarter were marked by his automated systems. Videos can be deleted for a variety of reasons beyond hate speech, including copyright infringement, violence, nudes and spam.
Last week, YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki said again that the company is committed to being an open platform.
“A commitment to openness is not easy. Sometimes it means leaving content that is out of the mainstream, controversial or even offensive, ”he wrote in a letter to people who create content for YouTube. "But I think that listening to a wide range of perspectives ultimately makes us a stronger and more informed society, even if we disagree with some of those views."
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