A Google executive defended YouTube’s decision to keep a controversial video online during an inquiry in Melbourne, Australia. The video falsely suggested a survivor of a Sydney massacre was a crisis actor using makeup to appear wounded. Despite complaints from survivor Arsen Ostrovsky, the video met YouTube’s standards and remained accessible.
Rachel Lord, Google’s manager in Australia, testified at the government inquiry focused on rising antisemitism. This includes a deadly attack by two gunmen on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, which resulted in 15 deaths. The platform reviewed the decision at high levels, said Lord, and continues to re-evaluate its guidelines.
Lawyer Richard Lancaster led the inquiry’s evidence by referencing the video’s transcript to avoid public exposure of its images. The video features four men accusing Ostrovsky of being an intelligence asset and part of a false flag operation. They also mockingly referred to his bleeding head as “very crisis actor-ish,” citing his alleged theater degree.
Police have accused the father-and-son attackers, Sajid and Naveed Akram, of being motivated by the Islamic State group. Lancaster criticized the video for highlighting deficiencies in YouTube’s hate speech policies. Lord acknowledged this feedback from Lancaster.
YouTube told Australia’s online safety regulator that it aims to provide high-quality information regarding the tragic event. Ostrovsky reported to the inquiry that he faced significant online harassment and vilification, especially through AI-generated images showing him laughing with fake blood applied to his head.