Tech firms fail to stop abusive content – leaving the public to do the dirty work

As harmful material continues to appear on sites like YouTube and Facebook, companies rely on journalists and citizens to flag it - and the system is failing

The viral YouTube videos featured screaming children being tortured, conspiracy theorists taunting mass shooting victims and webcam footage of young girls in revealing clothing. The disturbing clips drew millions of views and, up until recently, were continuing to spread on the site.

Then, hours after reporters highlighted them to YouTube, asking for comment, the videos disappeared.