Those who suffer damages from false YouTube videos eventually have to find a legal remedy for themselves. (image: Pixabay)
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — In recent days, there have been frequent cases in which YouTube videos containing revelatory or defamatory content turned out to be manipulated or contain information that was demonstrably false.
The owner of a restaurant in Daegu recently filed a public petition on the website of the presidential office saying that he had suffered damages following the misleading broadcast of a YouTuber.
The YouTuber, a specialist in reviews of famous restaurants with more than 600,000 subscribers, posted a video claiming that the Daegu restaurant was recycling food. The contents of the video, however, turned out to be wrong.
The YouTuber admitted his mistake, saying that it was caused by a misunderstanding. Although the YouTuber uploaded an apology video, it came after the restaurant had already halted operations.
In July, another YouTuber, a specialist in car reviews, uploaded a video of a Tesla vehicle. The video, however, turned out to have been manipulated.
Another YouTuber who claimed that a delivery person ate some of the food he ordered later apologized saying that the claim was nothing but a performance.
YouTube is in charge of managing content, and removing violent and obscene videos, while shutting down channels if the number of warnings exceeds a certain threshold.
However, since the contents are too vast and the regulatory categories too comprehensive, it’s difficult to assess whether information is true or not, making it hard for YouTube to take appropriate actions.
Worse, existing laws do not have proper provisions for such cases. Eventually, those who suffer damages from false YouTube videos have to find a legal remedy for themselves.
“It’s possible to impose criminal and civil liabilities to those who defame or cause economic damages to others by distributing false information in public. However, there is room for acquittal if such conduct is committed for public interest.” lawyer Hah Seo-jung said.
“If existing laws are revised to introduce a punitive damage system, YouTubers would be more careful with what they broadcast,” she added.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
