“We have summoned YouTube to explain why there has been inadequate compliance to our July orders. We would like to have their viewpoint about the difficulties they are facing in removing clearly objectionable videos,” NCST secretary Raghav Chandra told ET. YouTube has removed “some videos” but the exact numbers are not available with the commission since the company has not sent an action-taken report, Chandra said.
When contacted, a Google spokesperson said, “YouTube has community guidelines outlining what content is allowed on the site, and we review flagged videos against those policies. In addition, we also respond to legal requests to remove content that breaks local laws. In all cases, we restrict access to a video only after a thorough review to determine if the request meets both the letter and spirit of the law.
Where content does not break local laws or violate our community guidelines, it will remain on the site.” NCST pointed out that videos on the Jarawas were offensive and amounted to outraging their modesty without their knowledge. The Jarawas and four other tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been lassified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
With a current population of 480, the Jarawas live in parts of the South Andaman and Middle Andaman Islands and have largely shunned interaction with outsiders. In a bid to protect their cultural identity, apolicy has been framed by the administration. The Jarawa policy of December 21, 2004 prohibits visits to tribal settlements.