At scale, whack-a-mole take-downs and trying to idiot-proof the internet just feel kinda futile.
A suggested (IANAL) alternative, for "dangerous ways to maim or kill yourself" YouTube content:
- A "Report Being A Dangerous Thing To Try" YouTube page - with a few drop-downs, to summarize why it's dangerous. (High Voltage, Poison, Explosive, Fire Hazard, Dangerous Animals, Motor Vehicle Stunts, etc.)
- Verified-as-dangerous videos stay up, but get a few seconds of skull-and-crossbones warning. With a death count, and "report yet another death" link. That last has a high enough bar ("crippled-for-life doesn't count, include official death certificate and certified police or medical report, ...") to make it clear that there are real dead bodies behind that body count.
Unstated goal: Encourage less-stupid people to realize that following cool-sounding directions from the internet could maim or kill them. Whether or not anyone has yet gone to the effort required to get a specific video flagged as deadly.
Warnings like these can become diluted if the context of these reports are not specific enough. Listing rock climbing free solo deaths on videos of people top rope climbing will get an eye roll from people and make it easier to disregard. It's also not fair to communities that understand the risks of what they are doing to see these reminders of dangers they are already aware of.
A suggested (IANAL) alternative, for "dangerous ways to maim or kill yourself" YouTube content:
- A "Report Being A Dangerous Thing To Try" YouTube page - with a few drop-downs, to summarize why it's dangerous. (High Voltage, Poison, Explosive, Fire Hazard, Dangerous Animals, Motor Vehicle Stunts, etc.)
- Verified-as-dangerous videos stay up, but get a few seconds of skull-and-crossbones warning. With a death count, and "report yet another death" link. That last has a high enough bar ("crippled-for-life doesn't count, include official death certificate and certified police or medical report, ...") to make it clear that there are real dead bodies behind that body count.
Unstated goal: Encourage less-stupid people to realize that following cool-sounding directions from the internet could maim or kill them. Whether or not anyone has yet gone to the effort required to get a specific video flagged as deadly.