YouTube removes shooting videos

The killing of several students by a gunman at a Finnish school yesterday has drawn into question YouTube's guidelines on posting offensive material.

Matti Juhani Saari, 22, a trainee chef at a vocational college, posted video clips of himself on YouTube last week firing a gun at a firing range.

The videos did not initially appear to contravene the site’s rules covering offensive content.

The rules state: "Graphic or gratuitous violence is not allowed. If your video shows someone getting hurt, attacked, or humiliated, don’t post it."

However, YouTube reconsidered the videos in view of events at the school.

A YouTube spokeswoman said: "The original videos did not contravene our community guidelines until [the] incident, which put them in a new context."

"They were removed and the account was disabled as soon as we became aware that the user in question may be connected to this incident," she added.

Last week YouTube introduced UK specific guidelines barring videos that glamorise guns and knives.

The new rules, implemented by YouTube owners Google, are designed to ban videos "showing weapons with the aim of intimidation".

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