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Google issues viewer discretion notice on gay song video

mutua

Kenya Film Classification Board CEO Ezekiel Mutua when the regulator banned the pro-gay music video. PHOTO | FILE

***This story was amended reflect the fact that Google has only issued a viewer discretion notice on the video based on community flagging indicating that it could be potentially racy, but does not intend to ever delete it from YouTube.

American technology giant Google’s associate company YouTube has affixed a viewer discretion notice to a Kenyan gay song video that the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) had wanted pulled down.

The KFCB in February demanded that Google blocks the Same Love (Remix) By Art Attackvideo within a week, claiming that it was contravening the country’s laws by promoting gay relationships.

Google has however chosen to issue a viewer discretion notice on the video, which can still be accessed on YouTube.

“The content has been identified by the YouTube community as being potentially inappropriate. Viewer discretion is advised,” states the notice.

“When a video is identified as potentially racy based on community flagging, YouTube adds a viewer discretion notice. This ensures that the YouTube community can express and access different opinions on YouTube, while providing people with a choice about what videos they watch,” said a Google spokesperson in a statement.

The KFCB chief executive, Ezekiel Mutua, who some critics have accused of attempting to play the role of the country’s moral prefect without requisite legal backing, Wednesday said Google’s move is acceptable even if it fell short of his demand for a total deletion of the video from YouTube.

Mr Mutua also recently forced beverages maker Coca Cola to edit out a kissing scene in one of its running adverts that he charged promoted sexual behavior among the young and vulnerable groups like children.

The advert was running during the watershed period between 5pm to 10pm when it is deemed that children are awake.