This is according to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, who explained that Paul has not received the three strikes against his channel necessary for an outright ban. So far, Paul has one strike against his channel, which was due to the video of the suicide victim. Subsequent videos that have garnered controversy, including one where Paul tasered dead rats and encouraged his viewers to eat Tide pods, were apparently not enough for Paul to earn additional strikes against his channel.
While YouTube is hesitant to ban Paul, his actions have caused the company to update its policies so that it can act faster as similar situations arise in the future. YouTube has also punished Paul by temporarily removing his ability to monetize his videos, and have placed age gate restrictions on the video where he tasers the dead rats.
Some have criticized YouTube for not going far enough with Paul’s punishment, especially since it was not quick to react after he uploaded the original Suicide Forest video. The video where Paul tasers dead rats was considered offensive enough to temporarily remove monetization on his videos, but not enough for the YouTuber to accrue another strike against his channel. According to Wojcicki, this is because people may have differing ideas of what is offensive. “What you think is tasteless is not necessarily what someone else would think is tasteless,” she said.
If Paul continues to make videos that are potentially offensive, it’s possible his channel could be hit with enough strikes for him to be banned from the site entirely. However, considering the significant views Paul brings to YouTube, it’s not necessarily surprising he isn’t receiving harsher punishments for his actions.
Source: Polygon
