Facebook and YouTube Remove Bloodsports

Facebook and YouTube take down content that promotes illegal animal bloodsports.

18:58 20 February 2019

Facebook and YouTube have taken steps to take down content that promotes illegal animal bloodsports following an investigation by the BBC’s Countryfile programme. The programme monitored a number of YouTube and Facebook users and accounts for several months that feature hare coursing, which sees hares being hunted by dogs in competition against each other.

 

A spokesperson for Facebook said: "Content on Facebook must respect local laws and adhere to our community standards.

 

"When governments believe that something on Facebook violates their laws, they are able to report this to us so we can take suitable action. This applies to things like bloodsports, where we rely on reports by the appropriate authorities."

 

In a statement, YouTube said: "YouTube has clear policies that ban graphic content and animal abuse and we remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users."

 

However, many Facebook and YouTube profiles that feature illegal content are yet to be sanctioned by both websites.

 

Geoff Edmond, the RSPCA's national wildlife co-ordinator, said: "We would ask for responsibility. It should be taken down - it's illegal activity.

 

"It's down to these social media companies to take on that responsibility. At the moment, we are still talking to them to be responsible in the hope that that will happen.

 

"But I would always urge the public to call it in to ourselves or the police because what matters to me is stopping it."