Hate speech is not allowed: content promoting violence or hatred against protected groups
YouTube does not allow content that promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on any of these attributes, which YouTube's policy treats as protected group status: age; caste, ethnicity or race; disability; immigration status; nationality; religion; sex, gender or sexual orientation; veteran status; and victims of a major violent event and their kin. This list is YouTube's own policy definition of protected groups, not a legal definition. In some cases YouTube may make exceptions for content with educational, documentary, scientific or artistic context, including content in the public's interest; that exception is discretionary, not automatic.
Supporting quotations
Hate speech is not allowed on YouTube.
We don’t allow content that promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on any of the following attributes, which indicate a protected group status under YouTube’s policy:
Age
Caste, Ethnicity, or Race
Disability
Immigration Status
Nationality
Religion
Sex, Gender, or Sexual Orientation
Veteran Status
Victims of a major violent event and their kin
In some cases, we may make exceptions for content with educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic context, including content that is in the public’s interest.
Qualifications & exceptions
The protected attributes are those listed "under YouTube's policy", not a statutory list.
Exceptions are possible only "in some cases" and YouTube "may" make them; nothing guarantees one.
Not stated here
The policy does not define "promotes", "hatred" or "major violent event".
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
Don't post content meant to encourage violence or incite hatred against protected groups
If you post on YouTube, you must not post content whose purpose is to encourage violence against individuals or groups based on their protected group status, or to incite hatred against them on that basis. YouTube does not allow threats, and it treats implied calls for violence as real threats, so an indirect call for violence is handled the same as an explicit one. The educational, documentary, scientific and artistic exception may apply in some cases, at YouTube's discretion.
Supporting quotations
Don’t post content on YouTube if the purpose of that content is to do one or more of the following:
Encourage violence against individuals or groups based on their protected group status.
We don’t allow threats on YouTube, and we treat implied calls for violence as real threats.
Incite hatred against individuals or groups based on their protected group status.
In some cases, we may make exceptions for content with educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic context, including content that is in the public’s interest.
Qualifications & exceptions
This rule is framed by the purpose of the content ("if the purpose of that content is").
Not stated here
The separate threats and harassment policies are linked but not supplied, so their terms are not part of this analysis.
The policy does not say how YouTube determines the purpose of a piece of content.
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
Dehumanizing language, inferiority claims and hateful slurs or stereotypes also violate the policy
The policy lists other content that violates it. This includes dehumanizing individuals or groups based on their protected group status, such as calling them subhuman or comparing them to animals, insects, pests, disease or any other non-human entity. It includes using racial, religious or other slurs and stereotypes that incite or promote hatred based on protected group status, whether in speech, text or imagery, including content that treats such stereotypes as factual. It also includes claims that individuals or groups are physically or mentally inferior, deficient or diseased based on protected group status, such as saying one group is less than another, less intelligent or less capable, and calls for subjugating or dominating people on that basis. The educational, documentary, scientific and artistic exception may apply in some cases.
Supporting quotations
Other types of content that violates this policy
Dehumanization of individuals or groups by calling them subhuman, comparing them to animals, insects, pests, disease, or any other non-human entity based on their protected group status.
Use of racial, religious, or other slurs and stereotypes that incite or promote hatred based on protected group status.
This can take the form of speech, text, or imagery promoting these stereotypes or treating them as factual.
Claim that individuals or groups are physically or mentally inferior, deficient, or diseased based on their protected group status.
This includes statements that one group is less than another, calling them less intelligent or less capable.
This also includes calls for the subjugation or domination over individuals or groups based on their protected group status.
Qualifications & exceptions
Slurs and stereotypes are listed when they "incite or promote hatred based on protected group status".
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
Praising violence against protected groups and promoting hateful supremacism are not allowed
Content that praises or glorifies violence against individuals or groups based on their protected group status violates the policy. So does promoting hateful supremacism: claiming a group is superior to people with protected group status in order to justify violence, discrimination, segregation or exclusion. This covers hateful supremacist propaganda, including recruiting new members or asking for financial support for the ideology, and music videos that promote hateful supremacism in their lyrics, metadata or imagery. The educational, documentary, scientific and artistic exception may apply in some cases.
Supporting quotations
Praise or glorification of violence against individuals or groups based on their protected group status.
Promotion of hateful supremacism by alleging the superiority of a group over those with protected group status to justify violence, discrimination, segregation, or exclusion.
This includes content containing hateful supremacist propaganda, such as the recruitment of new members or requests for financial support for their ideology, and music videos promoting hateful supremacism in the lyrics, metadata, or imagery.
Qualifications & exceptions
Supremacism is covered when the superiority claim is used "to justify violence, discrimination, segregation, or exclusion".
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
Hateful conspiracy claims and denying major violent events are not allowed
Conspiratorial claims that individuals or groups are evil, corrupt or malicious based on their protected group status violate the policy. So does denying or minimizing a well-documented, major violent event, or the victimhood of such an event. As written, the denial item is not limited to events tied to a protected group, although victims of a major violent event and their kin are themselves a protected group. The educational, documentary, scientific and artistic exception may apply in some cases.
Supporting quotations
Conspiratorial claims that individuals or groups are evil, corrupt, or malicious based on their protected group status.
Denial or minimization of a well-documented, major violent event or the victimhood of such an event.
Qualifications & exceptions
The denial rule covers events that are "well-documented" and "major".
Not stated here
The policy does not say how YouTube decides whether an event is well-documented or major.
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
YouTube may allow hate speech shown with educational, documentary, scientific or artistic context
YouTube may allow content that includes hate speech if the content adds educational, documentary, scientific or artistic context. That context can include condemning or refuting hate speech, including opposing views, or satirizing it. YouTube says this is not a pass to promote hate speech. Its examples: a documentary about a hate group is allowed if it is educational and does not support the group or promote its ideas, but a documentary promoting violence or hatred is not; a documentary about how scientific theories changed over time is allowed even if it covers theories about the inferiority or superiority of groups, but a documentary claiming there is scientific evidence today that a group is inferior or subhuman is not; historical footage of an event such as WWII is allowed if it does not promote violence or hatred. The context must appear in the video's own images or audio; putting it only in the title or description is not enough.
Supporting quotations
We may allow content that includes hate speech if that content includes additional educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic context.
Additional context may include condemning, refuting, including opposing views, or satirizing hate speech.
This is not a pass to promote hate speech.
A documentary about a hate group: Educational content that isn’t supporting the group or promoting ideas would be allowed. A documentary promoting violence or hatred wouldn’t be allowed.
A documentary about the scientific study of humans: A documentary about how theories have changed over time, even if it includes theories about the inferiority or superiority of specific groups, would be allowed because it’s educational.
We won’t allow a documentary claiming there's scientific evidence today that an individual or group is inferior or subhuman.
Historical footage of an event, like WWII, which doesn't promote violence or hatred.
For educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic content that includes hate speech, this context must appear in the images or audio of the video itself.
Providing it in the title or description is insufficient.
Qualifications & exceptions
YouTube "may" allow such content; the exception is discretionary, not guaranteed.
The required context must be in the video's images or audio, not only in the title or description.
Not stated here
The policy does not say who decides whether context is sufficient or how such decisions can be challenged.
YouTube may also make exceptions for public-interest content such as political proceedings
YouTube may also make exceptions for content that is in the public's interest, such as congressional or parliamentary proceedings, campaign speeches, or debates over ongoing government actions. Like the educational and artistic exception, this is discretionary and is not a pass to promote hate speech.
Supporting quotations
We may also make exceptions for content that is in the public’s interest, such as congressional or parliamentary proceedings, campaign speeches, or debates over ongoing government actions.
This is not a pass to promote hate speech.
including content that is in the public’s interest
Qualifications & exceptions
YouTube "may" make these exceptions; the listed examples are illustrations, not a complete list.
Not stated here
The policy does not define "public's interest" beyond the examples.
The policy covers videos, descriptions, comments, live streams and external links
The hate speech policy applies to videos, video descriptions, comments, live streams and any other YouTube product or feature. It also applies to external links in your content, including clickable URLs, verbally directing people to other sites in a video, and other forms of linking. So pointing viewers to hateful material elsewhere can itself violate the policy.
Supporting quotations
This policy applies to videos, video descriptions, comments, live streams, and any other YouTube product or feature.
Please note these policies also apply to external links in your content.
This can include clickable URLs, verbally directing users to other sites in video, as well as other forms.
Content & IP Rights · User right or choice
You can report content or a whole channel that violates this policy
If you find content that violates this policy, YouTube asks you to report it. If you have found a few videos or comments you want to report, you can report the channel instead of each item.
Supporting quotations
If you find content that violates this policy, report it.
If you've found a few videos or comments that you would like to report, you can report the channel.
Not stated here
The reporting instructions are linked but not supplied, so the reporting steps are not part of this analysis.
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
The page also says YouTube bars misleading impersonation, including AI copies of voice or likeness
The saved page opens with a paragraph about impersonation, a different subject from hate speech. It says YouTube does not allow unauthorized impersonation of a person, entity or channel that may mislead viewers in a way that could harm the YouTube community. Impersonation may include deceptively copying the branding, content or usernames of individuals, channels or entities, and using AI to copy someone's voice or likeness to make it appear the channel is owned or authorized by that person. YouTube also says it enforces trademark holders' rights.
Supporting quotations
YouTube does not allow unauthorized impersonation of a person, entity, or channel that may mislead viewers in a way that could harm the YouTube community.
Impersonation may include deceptively copying the branding, content, or usernames of individuals, channels or entities.
It may also include using AI to copy the voice or likeness of an individual, to make it appear as if the channel is owned or authorized by that individual.
YouTube also enforces trademark holder rights.
Qualifications & exceptions
The ban covers impersonation that is unauthorized and that may mislead viewers in a way that could harm the community.
Not stated here
The page does not explain why this impersonation paragraph appears on the hate speech page; YouTube's separate impersonation and trademark policies are not supplied.
The page does not describe how trademark holders' rights are enforced.
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
In rare cases YouTube may remove content or penalize creators for patterns of hateful or abusive behavior
Under the heading "Monetization and other penalties", YouTube says that in some rare cases it may remove content or issue other penalties when a creator: repeatedly encourages abusive audience behavior; repeatedly targets, insults and abuses a group based on protected group status across multiple uploads; exposes a group with protected group status to risks of physical harm, judged by the local social or political context; or creates content that harms the YouTube ecosystem by persistently inciting hostility against a protected group for personal financial gain. Most of these triggers look at a creator's repeated or persistent behavior rather than a single item. Protected group status means the attributes listed at the top of the policy, such as age, race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation or veteran status.
Supporting quotations
Monetization and other penalties
In some rare cases, we may remove content or issue other penalties when a creator:
Repeatedly encourages abusive audience behavior.
Repeatedly targets, insults, and abuses a group based on protected group status across multiple uploads.
Exposes a group with protected group status to risks of physical harm based on the local social or political context.
Creates content that harms the YouTube ecosystem by persistently inciting hostility against a group with protected group status for personal financial gain.
We don’t allow content that promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on any of the following attributes, which indicate a protected group status under YouTube’s policy:
Qualifications & exceptions
YouTube says this happens only "in some rare cases" and that it "may" act; penalties are discretionary.
Most triggers require repetition or persistence ("repeatedly", "across multiple uploads", "persistently").
Not stated here
The heading mentions monetization, but the section does not say which monetization or other penalties apply.
The policy does not define "abusive audience behavior" or say how local social or political context is assessed.
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
YouTube's examples of banned hate speech include celebrating violence, animal comparisons and inferiority claims
YouTube gives examples of hate speech that is not allowed, written with placeholders for a protected group. They include saying you are glad a violent event happened because the victims got what they deserved; calling a group dogs or saying they are like animals; urging people to go punch a member of a group; calling a person scum of the earth; calling a group a disease; claiming a group is less intelligent because their brains are smaller; claiming a group has an agenda to run the world and get rid of "us"; and saying a person should not be educated at all. YouTube says these are just some examples, and asks you not to post content if you think it might violate the policy.
Supporting quotations
Here are examples of hate speech not allowed on YouTube.
“I’m glad this [violent event] happened. They got what they deserved [referring to people with protected group status].”
“[People with protected group status] are dogs” or “[people with protected group status] are like animals.”
“Get out there and punch a [person with protected group status].”
“[Person with protected group status] is scum of the earth.”
“[People with protected group status] are a disease.”
“[People with protected group status] are less intelligent than us because their brains are smaller.”
“[Group with protected group status] have an agenda to run the world and get rid of us.”
“[Person with protected group status] shouldn't be educated in schools because they shouldn't be educated at all.”
Please remember these are just some examples, and don't post content if you think it might violate this policy.
Examples
More examples
Qualifications & exceptions
The examples are not a complete list ("these are just some examples").
YouTube asks you not to post content you think might violate the policy, a more cautious standard than certain violation.
Content & IP Rights · Restriction or exception
Event denial, slurs aimed at anyone, and modded games promoting hatred are also examples of violations
Further examples of content not allowed: claiming the victims of a violent event are actors, that no one was hurt and that it was a false flag; and saying people died in an event but only an insignificant number. Shouting that a protected group are pests at someone is a violation regardless of whether that person actually has the protected group status. Video game content that has been developed or modified ("modded") to promote violence or hatred against a group with any of the policy's protected attributes is also not allowed.
Supporting quotations
“All of the so-called victims of this violent event are actors. No one was hurt, and this is just a false flag.”
“People died in the event, but a truly insignificant number.”
Shouting “[people with protected group status] are pests!” at someone regardless of whether the person does or does not have the alleged protected group status.
Video game content which has been developed or modified (“modded”) to promote violence or hatred against a group with any of the attributes noted above.
We don’t allow content that promotes violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on any of the following attributes, which indicate a protected group status under YouTube’s policy:
Qualifications & exceptions
The slur example applies whether or not the targeted person has the alleged protected group status.
Content & IP Rights · Company practice
Violating content is removed and you get an email; unverifiable links may be removed
If your content violates this policy, YouTube will remove it and send you an email to let you know. If YouTube cannot verify that a link you post is safe, it may remove the link. Violating URLs posted in the video itself or in its metadata may lead to the whole video being removed.
Supporting quotations
If your content violates this policy, we will remove the content and send you an email to let you know.
If we can’t verify that a link you post is safe, we may remove the link.
Note that violative URLs posted within the video itself or in the video’s metadata may result in the video being removed.
What happens if content violates this policy
Qualifications & exceptions
Link removal for unverified links and video removal for violating URLs are discretionary ("may").
Not stated here
The policy does not say how YouTube verifies whether a link is safe.