Vigilantism on YouTube: For justice or for views?

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Today, YouTube exerts an equal or possibly greater influence over young audiences than traditional broadcasters, yet there is a lack of oversight concerning illegal content, including acts of vigilantism. The spread of such videos, crime experts caution, could result in dangerous outcomes, underscoring the need for authorities to ramp up efforts to curb the streaming of such content.

Three weeks ago, a huge uproar ensued when a man in his 30s died when his car crashed into a parked trailer truck as he attempted to evade a YouTuber who runs Damyang Duck, a popular vigilante channel that boasts 73,700 subscribers.

Damyang Duck and three vehicles driven by his followers chased the driver for 1.9 kilometers, the pursuit being broadcast live on YouTube. The live broadcast attracted 400 viewers. The operator of Damyang Duck channel is under police investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident.

The incident ignited considerable controversy, especially as vigilante YouTube videos have recently gained popularity, with some leading to real consequences for their targets.

In June, a YouTube channel called Narak Storage (directly translated), which has approximately 450,000 subscribers, released a video disclosing the personal information of alleged perpetrators involved in a gang rape case that occurred in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, 20 years ago.

The video disclosed the names, ages and current occupations of individuals confirmed to have been involved in the case, leading to reports that some of the individuals were dismissed from their jobs.

The video caused further controversy as it falsely identified one of the perpetrators' alleged girlfriend.

Following the disclosure of such information, the operator of Narak Storage was indicted without detention for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

In an interview with a local media outlet, Narak has since issued an apology, admitting to negligence in verification and stating that the victim of disinformation spread by Narak had graciously agreed to settle, with both parties' lawyers coordinating to withdraw the lawsuit.

Narak further acknowledged that while profit may have partly motivated his production of such vigilante videos, he explained that as he delved deeper into the case, he became emotionally involved. According to Narak, his original intention in creating the video was to see the real perpetrators of the Miryang case sincerely apologize to the victims.

In April, a YouTuber running a channel called Eom Tae-Woong TV, which regularly discloses information on individuals involved in socially egregious incidents, was arrested on charges of extorting 300 million won ($226,789).

The operator of the channel, which has 300,000 subscribers, allegedly threatened a close associate of the perpetrator in the "Apgujeong Rolls-Royce hit-and-run" case, demanding money in exchange for not revealing the associate's personal details or the person's potential connections to the incident.

The "Apgujeong Rolls-Royce hit-and-run" case sparked nationwide anger in August when the driver of a Rolls-Royce, later discovered to have been under the influence of psychotropic drugs such as midazolam and diazepam at the time of the accident, struck a pedestrian and then fled the scene without offering assistance. The victim died from her injuries three months later.

Experts believe the enduring popularity of such YouTube channels reflects a widespread distrust of authorities. They also say such acts of vigilantism on YouTube will ultimately lead to dangerously unpredictable outcomes.

"If we turn to personal revenge for private grievances or perceived leniency in punishment, social order will be destroyed," said Lee Yung-hyeock, a professor of police science at Konkuk University.

"Furthermore, if such actions are driven by commercial motives, like increasing views, there may be aggressive attempts to delve into a case, potentially inflicting secondary harm on individuals unrelated to the crime," he added.

No way to effectively control such content?

Despite the proliferation of such potentially dangerous videos on YouTube, there are no effective means to curb their spread.

YouTube currently operates a system which allows users to report and request the deletion of videos featuring harmful or dangerous content, as well as those revealing private information about others. However, the measures are reactive rather than proactive.

YouTube did not respond to requests for comments on its plans to address these illegal videos.

The Korea Communications Standards Commission, which has the legal authority to review and prohibit illegal content on broadcast media and the internet, said it has no power to remove YouTube videos promoting acts of vigilantism as YouTube is headquartered overseas.

"Domestic operators are required by the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection to take measures, such as deleting content, when domestic laws are violated. They must adhere to this obligation, as failure to do so can result in administrative penalties and other sanctions," said an official from KCSC.

"However, in the case of overseas operators such as YouTube, they are not subject to this law, and we have no jurisdiction to enforce video deletions," said the official.

"We are currently addressing these issues on YouTube through ongoing communication and international cooperation, seeking assistance in removing content that is deemed illegal," he said.

The official noted that, despite the challenges, there has been a gradual increase in YouTube's compliance with the KCSC's requests to delete flagged videos, particularly since the establishment of a KCSC division dedicated to international cooperation in 2022.

According to data The Korea Herald received from the KCSC on Monday, YouTube acted on 90.2 percent of the 2,718 KCSC requests for corrective action so far this year as of the second quarter. The figure for 2023 stood at 90.4 percent of 3,546 requests and 97 percent of 5,080 requests in 2022.

Going forward, the commission official emphasized the need for increased efforts to enhance collaboration between the KCSC and overseas operators such as YouTube.

“To regulate such content more effectively, we must work to strengthen our cooperation through direct communication, such as meetings or video conferences with overseas operators,” he said.

By Lee Yoon-seo(yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com)