RED FLAG WAVING
Smut patrol must goose YouTube
Dear John: I am a “Trusted Flagger” for YouTube and recently read your article about abuse on the site.
I specialize in the child safety area and try to keep YouTube clean of the thousands of pedophiles who use it to abuse children every day. It’s a huge problem, and has been for many years.
Unfortunately, even though I report things directly to YouTube’s staff, and despite multiple meetings with the head of the department (and even email to YouTube’s CEO), the company is still failing to act.
In the past six months, YouTube has only acted upon 5 percent of my reports. And that happened after a lot of nagging and dozens of e-mails!
My reports include the most heinous people — even registered sex offenders — all of whom go to extraordinary lengths to exploit these children.
However, my point is that YouTube is letting pedophiles have free rein — and doing so willfully and knowingly.
I wonder if you might be able to e-mail me back, and I can show you some examples as to what is going on. Hope to hear from you soon. B.M.
Dear B.M.:
I admire your desire to keep pedophiles from hurting children on YouTube.
I also greatly admire the fact that YouTube has a program called Trusted Flaggers that allows experienced people like you to report violations like pedo- philia and violent content in a way that is quicker than the average user can report it.
YouTube said the Trusted Flagger program began in 2012 and authorizes people to drop a dime on bad content.
The issue here, it seems, is one of speed. YouTube, I think you feel, isn’t moving quickly enough. And don’t get me wrong. This nasty stuff needs to come down immediately, if not sooner.
I think your goal in contacting me was to light a fire under YouTube. I contacted the company, and I think we’ve done that. Mission accomplished. Let’s see if the monitors move faster on complaints in the future.
And, no, I don’t want to see any of the content that you’ve flagged. I’ll take your word it.
Dear John: Last October, my uncle Frank had to put my aunt in the New York State Veterans nursing home due to the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Uncle Frank is a disabled veteran who now lives alone in Brooklyn. We were informed at that time that Medicaid would conduct a review and notify him of the amount of the monthly charges that Medicaid would cover. To date, the bills have been steadily multiplying, yet Uncle Frank has heard nothing from Medicaid. And apparently neither has the nursing home.
We have been in contact with a social worker, who did inform us that Medicaid’s review might take several months. But now seven months have passed, and the bill has grown to more than $67,000.
Uncle Frank, who is 92, is worried sick about possibly losing his house.
Any assistance you can provide will be appreciated. Thank you so much for doing what you do. V.D.
Dear V.D.: As you know, I have Medicaid working on this. And while nothing has yet been deter- mined, things are at least progressing. You informed me that you were asked for some more information, but most important, you said that Medicaid “advised me to tell Uncle Frank that his house is not in jeopardy. And that he should not attempt to pay any money to the V.A. facility at this time.”
I’m putting this in the paper at this time because that tends to make people follow through on their promises.
How can I help?
Dear Readers, Your letters to John Crudele are streaming in fast and furiously, asking Dear John to right the wrongs you’re facing. Because of this influx, The Post Business section will feature more of your inquiries in the hope of helping you with your troubles.
Send your questions to Dear John, The New York Post, 1211 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10036, or john.crudele@nypost.com