● In its early years, YouTube, like many of its Silicon Valley peers, took a permissive approach when it came to content moderation. The company wrote a 70-page manual for moderators. “Use your judgment!” suggested one page. ● Things changed with the rise of the Islamic State. Members of the militant group began uploading slick, cinematic propaganda to the site — one former publicist remembers dealing with a “beheading every day.” The content was a nightmare for YouTube. ● To solve the problem, YouTube throttled ads for months on any channel that wasn’t tied to a vetted company. There were errors along the way, but eventually they were ironed out and Islamic State videos effectively disappeared. ● As YouTube honed its skill at undercutting Islamic State terrorists, some staff members grew concerned about how blind the platform was to white nationalism. ● Tap the link in our bio. (📸: Win McNamee/Getty Images)