YouTube Comment Snob, a nifty little Firefox add-on, lets viewers filter out unwanted YouTube comments that have multiple spelling errors, excessive capitalization or excessive punctuation (e.g. WOW!!!!!! or NEET!!!!!).
YouTube commenters aren't the most articulate or thoughtful bunch -- they're a knee-jerk crowd. The quality of comments can range from obnoxious to downright mean. It's a big enough problem that some faithful YouTube partners have blown the joint.
The key question is why Google hasn't rolled out a comparable tool? Considering the fact that the company prides itself on its obsessively user-centric business, and given that the quality of comments on YouTube has proven problematic, wouldn't Google want to roll out a comment filter on its own?
The immediate assumption is that Google might be refraining for legal reasons -- if Twitter risks a lawsuit by deleting certain tweets, wouldn't Google be vulnerable to a lawsuit if it rolled out a filter for comments?
It's not a straightforward situation, says John Dozier Jr., of Dozier Internet Law. He argues that there is no law that prohibits Google from blocking certain kinds of comments, but he suspects the company's choice not to is part of its "Do no evil" mission.
"I think it's a philosophical issue. 'Do no evil' could mean, 'Don't publish things that are outrageous or false.' On the other hand, it could mean, 'Don't inhibit somebody's ability to communicate their thoughts and opinions,'" says Dozier.
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