The YouTube channel SmarterEveryDay is trying to raise a very important issue, and it effects everyone that makes videos, takes photos, or does anything media/content wise! Did you know that Facebook is currently making money off of your videos without your consent? Yep, when you see a video on Facebook, of course you have ads on the side. Unless you use an ad blocker like I do! The ad revenue is not going to the person who made and posted the video, it’s going to Facebook!
And what’s worse, several pages on Facebook will upload videos, even though they did not make the video. In simple terms, the Facebook page stole the video and uploaded it to their page claiming it was there’s! For Smarter Every Day, one Facebook page uploaded a video from them, and cut out all the educational content and the sponsor at the end of the video. This act of stealing someone’s work and uploading it to a Facebook page is called freebooting. Or the act of taking a creation that someone else has made and then using it as if you made it to profit off of the video.
So, what happens when the original creator tries to take off the video or photo on Facebook because it was stolen? Well, let’s just say it’s a very painful process! Destin filled out forms and sent many e-mails and nothing happened, until people on Twitter re-tweeted Smarter Every Day’s post and Facebook finally responded! As what Destin says, when Facebook is called out on it, they effectively say “We’re sorry about your Intellectual Property Issue” and keep the ad money. Facebook gains money, and the Freebooter gains exposure. This sounds illegal and wrong, right?
So, Destin Sandlin wants you to watch the entire video, to the very end, to see how you collectively can stop these multi-billion dollar corporations from illegally making money on individuals who have no power. I mean, if YouTube has a way for people uploading videos to make money from ads, why does Facebook not have that option? And keeping all of the ad revenue for themselves? So, here is the Smarter Every Day video, and make sure you see the sponsor at the end!
And for an bonus, Smarter Every Day created this infographic that needs to be shared! Print out or save on your computer, and when you see someone’s work being stolen on Facebook, follow these easy steps!
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