W.C. Fields had a joke about the closing of bars on Election Day: “That’s taking democracy too far!” Sen. Joe Lieberman rightfully feels the same way about al Qaeda and its newest recruiting tool, now available as close as your child’s bedroom:
Searches on YouTube return dozens of videos branded with an icon or logo identifying the videos as the work of one of these Islamist terrorist organizations. A great majority of these videos document horrific attacks on American soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. Others provide weapons training, speeches by al-Qaeda leadership, and general material intended to radicalize potential recruits. […] [YouTube] guidelines state that “[g]raphic or gratuitous violence is not allowed. If your video shows someone getting hurt, attacked, or humiliated, don’t post it.” Many of the videos produced by one of the production arms of al-Qaeda show attacks on U.S. forces in which American soldiers are injured and, in some cases, killed. Nevertheless, those videos remain available for viewing on YouTube. At the same time, the guidelines do not prohibit the posting of content that can be readily identified as produced by al-Qaeda or another [Foreign Terrorist Cell].
YouTube had no problem censoring problematic material when it was launched in China. Nor does it hesitate to remove copyrighted music, movie or TV clips when requested to do so. But al Qaeda’s footage of American soldiers getting killed falls under the heading of, what–job recruitment tools? Home movies? I guess the logo in the corner of the screen–which means, “I’m Osama bin Laden and I approved this message”–cleans up any potential copyright problem.
