YouTube ads found on extremist content channels, reigniting company’s brand safety issues

After spending more than a year convincing brands it was addressing its brand safety problems, YouTube is under fire again for showing ads alongside extremist content. An investigation by CNN discovered ads from multiple brands and government agencies showing up on YouTube channels dedicated to white nationalist, pro-Nazi and North Korean propaganda content. A number of well-known brands were named in CNN’s report, including Adidas, Amazon, Cisco, Facebook, Hershey, Hilton, LinkedIn, Mozilla, Netflix, Nissan and Under Armour. Both Nissan and Under Amour said they were pausing their YouTube ads, and Hilton told CNN it was in the process of removing its ads from the site. A Nissan spokesperson told CNN: “Effectively immediately, we are freezing all of our advertising on YouTube until we resolve this issue.” Not only were ads from well-known brands placed against extremist content, but a number of US government agencies — the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Transportation, Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Coast Guard Academy — had ads that ran on North Korean propaganda channels.