YouTube in hot water again as Mars departs over brand safety concerns

Social video sharing site YouTube is once again in hot water over advertising brand safety. This time, it’s Mars that has suspended marketing on the platform after an advert for Starburst sweets was found to be placed at the start of a rap music video allegedly supporting gang violence in London. The film by a group called Moscow 17 is part of an emerging genre called ‘drill’ which has been cited as violent “soundtrack” to gang warfare in London, with rival gangs often using the videos and tracks to provoke each other.YouTube has removed 30 such videos since 2016 following requests from the police who claimed they had possible links with gangland killings, while the track in question - featuring a group member who was killed in a suspected gang-related attack earlier in the week - references being “at war” with the police.