Senate

Dem senator on viral dead body video: YouTube must explain how it’ll prevent this from happening again

by Rebecca Savransky - 01/03/18 12:07 PM ET

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) on Wednesday called for YouTube to answer questions regarding the recent video posted by YouTube star Logan Paul that showed a dead body hanging from a tree.

“I have questions for @YouTube about the Logan Paul video. Here’s the first: Is it true that it was not removed by YouTube but rather by the user after it was trending and accumulated millions of views?” Schatz tweeted.

“Second question: What exactly is your system to prevent stuff like this from happening again? And don’t give me a long [answer] about artificial intelligence or the number of users you have.”

I have questions for @YouTube about the Logan Paul video. Here’s the first: Is it true that it was not removed by YouTube but rather by the user after it was trending and accumulated millions of views?

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) January 3, 2018

Second question: What exactly is your system to prevent stuff like this from happening again? And don’t give me a long about artificial intelligence or the number of users you have.

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) January 3, 2018

{mosads}The Paul’s video was taken in a Japanese forest, Aokigahara, known as a popular location for people looking to kill themselves. It shows a dead body hanging from a tree.

Paul faced heavy criticism for the video, which has since been removed from YouTube.

He apologized earlier this week for posting the video, saying he had intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention.

He said in a statement posted to Twitter that it is easy to get caught up in the moment without “fully weighing the possible ramifications” and that he had handled his popularity “incorrectly.”

“I made a huge mistake. I don’t expect to be forgiven,” he said in a video he posted to his YouTube channel Tuesday. “I will be better.”

Paul’s YouTube channel has more than 15 million subscribers.

Schatz has warned social media companies to better self-regulate in the past, tweeting in November Google’s motto for its corporate code of conduct: “Don’t Be evil.”