YouTube Temporarily Demonetizes SSSniperwolf
YouTube has acted in the SSSniperwolf vs. Jacksfilms doxxing case. If you haven’t been following it, SSSniperwolf, a massively popular YouTube and Twitch streamer, took a picture of Jacksfilms’ house and posted it on her Instagram account following an online feud between the two. Jacksfilms posted about it on Twitter and tagged the YouTube Twitter account, demanding SSSniperwolf be demonetized or removed from the platform. This happened on October 13; today is October 20, and YouTube has finally made a decision, giving SSSniperwolf a “temporary monetization suspension.” Their tweet confirming the suspension left much to be desired, however:
Confirming SSSniperWolf has received a temporary monetization suspension per Creator Responsibility policies. Off platform actions that put others’ personal safety at risk harm our community & the behavior on both sides isn’t what we want on YT. Hoping everyone helps move this…
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) October 20, 2023
While SSSniperwolf was the only one punished (which she should be because she was the one who did the doxxing), YouTube seems to equivocate her and Jacksfilms’ behavior. That’s wrong; when I wrote about this, I said I thought their feud was stupid, but you can’t compare it to putting someone’s life in danger, not to mention his wife’s. Even if YouTube wants to get them to stop their conflict, this is not the time or the venue; their responsibility is to take as firm a stance against doxxing as possible – which they didn’t even do with their punishment. Someone who regularly gets over 1 million views on her videos within two weeks is not going to be hurt all that badly by a temporary monetization suspension, especially as she not only has over 34 million subscribers but has had her name all over the internet for the past week. It’s also fair to say that YouTube benefits from her being able to make money on their platform, so an outright ban was unlikely.
It did finally get SSSniperwolf to apologize, though:
Let me start by saying I’m sorry for my recent actions; it is inexcusable. I’m sorry to Jacksfilm, YouTube, the entire creator community, and my incredible fans for not being a better example for appropriate conflict resolution. Jacksfilm, while we certainly don’t see eye to eye…
— Lia (@sssniperwolf) October 20, 2023
I don’t think anyone believes this is sincere; it seems like she’s doing her part to keep the fallout from YouTube to a minimum. (Notice how she tells YouTube they acted appropriately.) And this is a big turnaround from her initial reaction, which was to defend her doxxing because Jacksfilms kept sniping at her on YouTube. One hopes this is the end of it, especially where Jacksfilms’ and his wife’s safety is concerned.
