Page 29 - Payout Magazine Online Volume 8.6

advertising account responsible for displaying cam networks, as opposed to a misguided
the ad was shut down as soon as the links were marketing campaign run by the cam networks
brought to YouTube’s attention. themselves.

The Sun identifies the site being promoted As with the Sun’s report, Motherboard’s
in the offending ad as BongaCams, and further post concludes with a statement from
underlines its grave concerns about exposing YouTube clarifying – as though doing so were
people to smut by offering a slightly blurred necessary – that YouTube doesn’t condone
screencap of the site, which can be enlarged or permit this kind of advertising, but due to
to get a better view of the mildly fuzzy nipples the highly-automated nature of its advertising
in the mix. system, can’t always prevent them from being
displayed.
While the Sun didn’t link to BongaCams,
it did make sure its readers had a properly “We have clear policies against ads featuring
salacious understanding of what the platform graphic adult content,” YouTube says in the
is all about. statement to Motherboard. “When we become
aware of an ad that violates our policies, we
“It’s a popular porn site feature (sic) live immediately remove it and take appropriate
webcam performances by men and women action, including, and up to, suspending the
who undress and perform sex acts for money,” responsible account.”
the article states. “Models earn ‘tips’ by getting
their viewers hot and bothered with racy cam If that sounds like the same boat adult
shows. BongaCams is one of the largest ‘adult affiliate programs are in with respect to “rogue”
camming’ websites in Europe.” affiliates, it’s because it is the same boat.

Fair enough, Sun – and I’m sure BongaCams As I once pointed out to an attorney from
thanks you for whatever key-in traffic your faux the Dept. of Justice while he was deposing me
finger-wagging may produce. in a civil case, as a practical matter, affiliate
programs (and user-generated content sites
On Motherboard, meanwhile, the tsk-tsk like YouTube) can’t predict, control or prevent
sentiment is similar, but the cam site referenced the actions of third-parties, most of whom I
in connection with the ad is different.
haven’t and will never meet.
“YouTube Is Serving Ads for Hardcore Porn Granted, that observation clearly doesn’t
on Trending Videos,” Motherboard reports, offer the same sort of clickbait-appeal as
sub-headlined with “The YouTube auto-playing “YouTube is slammed for showing auto-play
ads lead to a site that shows explicit sex.”
PORN adverts on popular videos with smutty
links that send users to webcam sex sites.”
“When some users go to a video, they see
this ad autoplay before the video,” reports
Jason Koebler – who, to be fair, probably ought Gene Zorkin has been covering legal and
to get some credit for not using the word political issues for various adult publications
“smutty.”
(and under a variety of different pen names)
since 2002.
“In the bottom left corner, while the ad
plays, there’s a thumbnail image of people
having sex,” Koebler continues. “The link goes
to a Camsoda-branded cam model page. The
Reprinted courtesy of YNot
video currently has more than 300,000 plays.”

While Koebler traces the “porn problem”
occurring across several videos to the “same
mysterious source,” he doesn’t take the next
step – which would be to note the account likely
belongs to an affiliate who promotes multiple

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