YouTube got rid of the account of a Hamilton guy who livestreamed his transphobic tirade and attack on a passenger on a city bus in 2022.
The Google-owned video-sharing platform got rid of Chris Pretula’s account last week, days after CBC Hamilton asked the company about his channel and the platform’s policies on hateful content.
Pretula’s channel was removed for violating corporate policies, a YouTube spokesperson said in an email.
The company also stated that in case of shutting down a channel, it opposes the platform’s terms of service to open or use the channel or circumvent the policy by opening the channel.
YouTube “systematically” enforces its policies and the channel receives a notification when its content is removed, the company said.
In early April, a sentence sentenced Pretula to seven months in prison for assault and violation of court orders related to the August 2022 incident.
Pretula, 43, posted the livestream of the crime, in which he launched unprovoked hate speech towards cyclists before kicking one of them in the leg, on YouTube, among other sites. During the court proceedings, the judge described his crime as being motivated through anti-2SLGBTQ hatred.
Although he called the incident a statement, he went on to post other livestreams that the judge deemed to be motivated by hate.
Pretula, who pleaded guilty, apologized for the incident during the court process but also said he would continue to livestream in the future.
An expert on human rights and cyberbullying, as well as advocates for 2SLGBTQ, said this case is a prime example of why Canada needs stronger legislation against cyberbullying and online hate, such as the Online Harms Act.
Some of the law’s provisions would require social media companies, such as YouTube, to help users view destructive content.
In its email to CBC, YouTube said that hate speech is not allowed on the site and that, when identified, it is content that violates the website’s hate speech policies.
Gender identity and expression is one of the categories that the organization is given prestige to under YouTube’s policies.
The company said in its email that protecting its network is a very sensible priority and a responsibility it takes seriously.
YouTube said members of the network can report or report any content that violates its policies.
The content of the report is anonymous, so other users can’t know who made the report, he adds.
Once the content is flagged, it is reviewed and appropriate action is taken, he said.
Journalist
Bobby Hristova is a journalist for CBC Hamilton. He reports on all subjects, but has a knack for reporting that holds other people accountable, reporting on social issues, and investigative journalism. In the past, he worked for the National Post and CityNews in Toronto. You can contact him at bobby. hristova@cbc. ca.
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