Why You Should Avoid Documenting Illegal Activities on YouTube
Do you enjoy uploading your videos to YouTube and sharing them with others? Then you are definitely not alone as YouTube is one of the most popular online video sharing sites. The nice thing about YouTube is that it lets you upload almost any type of video you want. While you have the ability to upload almost any type of video you want, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
Why You Should Avoid Documenting Illegal Activities on YouTube
One type of video you’ll want to avoid posting on YouTube is a video documenting that you’ve done something illegal. It’s not uncommon to find some videos on the YouTube website that show minors drinking alcohol, using drugs, or worse.
In fact, videos have previously been documented on the Internet showing people committing more serious crimes such as theft or vandalism. There are some people; I hope you’re not one of those who think that documenting illegal activities is cool and can actually make them look like a cooler person. The truth is, your YouTube video might get attention, but it might not come from the people you hoped to get attention from.
Although not everyone does this, it is recommended that you read through all the information given to you about YouTube and its operation. You can easily find this information by visiting the YouTube help center. There you will find that YouTube is working with law enforcement in some cases.
What does this mean for you? This means that if you share videos documenting illegal activities, YouTube may share those videos with the authorities. In most cases, you’ll only find that it’s done in major crimes like abuse or sexual assault crimes, but you still never know.
In addition to the possibility of YouTube notifying law enforcement when they come across it as a video summarizing a horrific crime, law enforcement offerings are now turning on the internet of their own. There have been cases in the news previously discussed about how YouTube and other social networking sites ended up solving a crime. Unfortunately, a large part of the public mistakenly believes that police officers do not have time to research the Internet, but many fail to start doing so. Therefore, it is extremely important that you do not document that you have committed a crime, no matter how trivial it may seem.
Besides the possibility of being caught committing a crime by law enforcement, you also have to worry about others watching your videos; Others who can have a say in your life as well. For example, did you know that if you’re still in high school and one of your school officials catches you documenting that you drink or use drugs as a minor, you could be suspended from school or school-related activities? If you’re not in high school, something similar can happen if one of your employers comes across a video of you documenting your crime. Depending on the severity of the situation, you may only receive a warning, but you may also lose your job.
As you can see, documenting your involvement in illegal activities on YouTube, no matter how big or small, has many different consequences. That’s why it’s recommended to play it safe, keep all illegal or inappropriate content off YouTube.