[NAGDU] An important note about YouTube

Wed Sep 20 22:25:56 UTC 2023

He can certainly express his opinion and we should definitely complain. We can also let LIFT know it is people like him who cause us to be very concerned about using rideshare services. We all have freedom of speech and we need to use ours.

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Howard Levine via NAGDU
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 12:36 PM
To: 'Al Elia' <al.elia at aol.com>
Cc: Howard Levine <wb2hww at earthlink.net>; 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] An important note about YouTube

I agree that youtube is not the gov
 But I do believe in free speech may not like what he saying but let the guy make floo of himself. In know do I agree with him what he says about service animals show that he has no clue what is going. Everlie  my dog told she does not this guy.

-----Original Message-----
From: Al Elia <al.elia at aol.com> 
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 12:07 PM
To: Howard Levine <wb2hww at earthlink.net>
Cc: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] An important note about YouTube

Mr. Levine – as YouTube is not a government service, the first amendment (freedom of speech) does not apply. His video violates YouTube’s termns of service because it unlawfully interferes with service animal users right to be transported by other rideshare drivers, in violation of Title V of the ADA and the California Disabled Persons Act, among other laws. The video should therefore be taken down by YouTube.

/Æ

On 20 Sep 2023, at 11:34, Howard Levine wrote:

> I agree watching this video is only going to put money in this guys pocket and this guy is bigote, that all said he has right to speak his mind freedom of speech from what I understand his second video is back tracking. I think lyft should taken him off the platform. Any train serviceanimal will not lick seats or door handle. If you did listen to how this person talks he can put a good clear sentence that shows his level of education.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Al Elia via NAGDU
> Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2023 10:50 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Al Elia <al.elia at aol.com>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] An important note about YouTube
>
> Hello everyone. I have been out of town for awhile and so am just catching  up on this subject.
>
> The YouTube video under discussion came to the attention of the NFB in late August. We reached out to Lyft, but learned that our Lyft contact is no longer there. We are working to determine who should be our new Lyft contact, and are simultaneously advocating for sanctions against the driver who posted the cvideo.
>
> We also went through the YouTube takedown request process for content that violates the law, as this video interferes with our right to travel with a guide dog under the ADA and several state laws, including California’s (which governs YouTube’s terms of service). Obviously that has not been successful, as the video is still up. We are discussing how best to move forward to ensure that this content is removed.
>
> In the meantime, please do not share or watch the video. The reason we did not mention the video in social media or to any NFB lists is because of the concerns Heather and others on this list raised – that watching the video increases the likelihood that YouTube will recommend it to others, and also increases the revenue to the driver who made and posted it. I was very dismayed to learn that ASAP disseminated the video and encouraged people to watch it, as that is exactly what we do not want people to do. While I believe ASAP’s mission to be a laudable one, its cavalier attitude in this matter and some recent others makes me question its leaders’ understanding of technology and privacy, their judgment, or both. I think at this point if someone wishes to disseminate any information from ASAP on an NFB list, including this one, they may wish to seek NAGDU board input first. That is a suggestion, not  a command or policy statement of the board.
>
> Hopefully we can undo the damage ASAP has done by increasing the prominence of this driver and his video buy convincing YouTube to take it down. However, that may take some time, so again  please do not encourage anyone to watch the video, and please  do not disseminate information about the video from ASAP.
>
> Thank you all.
>
> /Æ
>
>
> On 19 Sep 2023, at 12:58, Jody ianuzzi wrote:
>
>> I think the best idea is to bring this to the attention of lift. Perhaps they can view the video and suspend the driver
>>
>> JODY
>>
>> To Boldly Go  🖖🏻
>>
>>
>> thunderwalker321 at gmail.com
>>
>> "What's within you is stronger than what's in your way."  NO BARRIERS  Erik Weihenmayer
>>
>>> On Sep 19, 2023, at 12:50 PM, Jenine Stanley via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> I’ll add to Heather’s excellent advice here by noting that if you do want to share what this supposed driver said for comments, someone can grab and post a transcript of the video.
>>>
>>> Do not feed the trolls as it were. This guy makes trolls look sweet and cuddly.
>>>
>>>> On Sep 19, 2023, at 11:42 AM, Heather Bird via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hello everyone. So, I just want to put this out there that when you view something on, YouTube, whether it’s something you agree with, or not, that boosts the views of that video, and the views of that content, Creator. That is, any sort of activity on a video makes the YouTube algorithm happy. So, if you come across a video that you don’t like, or don’t agree with, first of all, don’t hit dislike, because even if you’re showing, you dislike the video, that counts as activity, and it makes the YouTube algorithm more likely to recommend it to people. Secondly, probably don’t comment either, when you comment, even if you’re arguing with the premise of the video, or arguing with other people’s comments in the comment section, you are again telling the algorithm that this video is important.
>>>>
>>>> No, this next part, I’m not 100% sure of, but I’m fairly certain. If someone who is more text, savvy or social media savvy wants to weigh in that would be great. However, I think that watch time is based on how long you view the video as well.  When I look at the statistics for my channel, I see that it logs a lot of things, including total watch time. I’m not sure if it calculates it based on the number of times a video is viewed, times the length of the video? Or, maybe it is sophisticated enough that it looks at how long a video is viewed before it stops, that is, the video ends, or someone clicks away from the video to something else.  If it is in fact, sophisticated enough to track the actual amount of watch time, then, clicking away from a video that is problematic might help lower it in the YouTube algorithm. If you don’t want a negative video to impact the suggested videos you receive in future, viewing a controversial video in incognito mode, can also help. We can certainly wait and see what the leader ship Hass to say about this content, but in the meantime, if you’re inclined to go view this video, or if you encounter other videos in the future, that you really despise, please be aware of how your activity interacting with that video  Communicates to the YouTube algorithm. Trust me, this is infuriating, I am one of those sorts of people who likes to have the last word, who feels like I have to respond to everything, and so, not commenting on the video, not hitting the dislike button, it’s very difficult for me. So I would suggest the following, if you feel frustrated, about a video like this. One, share links to videos that are  in line with your philosophy, so, for instance, the NFB has a YouTube channel, and sharing positive guide dog related content, especially if it’s from an actual organization of Guide Dog users, such as NAGDU or GDUI, a channel run by one of the guide dog training programs, or a responsible guide or service, dog trainer, or content from responsible guide dog handlers, who are YouTube content creators, is also helpful. If you have your own YouTube channel and want to make a post expressing a view, differing from a negative post you encounter, without linking to that video, then you will help get correct information out there, and a message that aligns with your philosophy, without giving more traffic to the video, or the channel, of the negative content creator.
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
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